Andy Warhol

The Estate of Andy Warhol, New York
Private Collection, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is slightly brighter in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is a very thin, stable and unobtrusive tension crack running intermittently along the extreme overturn edge. Extremely close inspection reveals a pinhead-sized speck of loss on the upper edge approx 7 cm from the upper left corner tip. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultraviolet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

“I really love wearing perfume. I’m not exactly a snob about the bottle a cologne comes in, but I am impressed with a good-looking presentation. It gives you confidence when you’re picking up a well-designed bottle. I switch perfumes all the time. If I’ve been wearing one perfume for three months, I force myself to give it up, even if I still feel like wearing it, so whenever I smell it again it will always remind me of those three months. I never go back to wearing it again; it becomes part of my permanent smell collection” (Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: (From A to B and Back Again), Orlando, 1975, p. 150).

Still Life (Perfume Bottles) employs Warhol’s characteristic use of vivid hues and flat planes of colour, overlaid with silkscreen to create a playful yet powerful image. Sparkling against the energetic pink background – disrupted only by an icy blue streak - the bold silhouettes of the perfume bottles are the ultimate manifestation of Andy Warhol’s unique amalgam of glamorous style and iconic motifs. From afar, these bottles appear liberally scattered across the surface of the canvas, but upon closer inspection, their positioning has evidently been carefully considered. In celebrating this everyday item – the image of which had been reserved for advertisement pages in magazines rather than the hallowed high art canvas – Warhol revolutionized the concept of art as an elite language by introducing imagery from the popular vernacular that could be understood by the common man.

As champion of the mass-produced commodity, it is no surprise to see Warhol included the Chanel logo in this pluralist composition of multiple bottles. The artist often engaged with the brand in his work: Warhol’s silkscreen series of Chanel No. 5 advertisements celebrate a life of luxury, yet, by utilising photo-mechanical reproduction and his infamous Factory production techniques, Warhol made the brand accessible to all. For Warhol, the Chanel perfume bottle embodied his most revisited theme – the triumphs of modern day advertising – yet the glamour and sophistication associated with this campaign allowed him to explore the theme at a more decadent level. In the 1950s, the Chanel brand became synonymous with the cultural icon and Warhol’s fascination, Marilyn Monroe, whose unsolicited endorsement of the fragrance provided the brand with invaluable publicity. “What do I wear in bed?” the actress coyly mused, “Why, Chanel No. 5, of course.”

Obsessed with celebrity, Warhol delighted in reading old fashion magazines that were published in the 1930s – the Golden Age of Hollywood – in which he would ponder over the pages depicting perfume advertisements and try to imagine the composition of the scent from their names. In the best Warholian fashion, Still Life (Perfume Bottles) entices the viewer into a world of consumerism, celebrity culture and capitalist delights, elevating a mass-produced object to the most glamorous dimensions, just as he had previously done with the American currency in his Dollar Sign series or his portraits of Hollywood stars such as Liz Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. With its riotous, colourful composition, the present work depicts luxury democratised, and is Warhol at his fun and frivolous best.