Andy Warhol

Estate of Andy Warhol
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Frayda Feldman and Jörg Schellmann, Andy Warhol Prints, A Catalogue Raisonné 1962 - 1987,  Fourth Edition, New York, 2003, cat. no. IIIC.49, p. 304, another example illustrated

This work is in very good condition overall. There are creases in the fabric which follow a cascading pattern consistent with the hinging of the work at the top two corners. Otherwise there are no other apparent condition problems with this work Suspended between two sheets of Plexiglas. Framed.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The very first meeting of Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys was as epochal as one could have fathomed when the two artists's who are often referred to as the twin giants of American and European Post-war art would meet. Their fundamentally different systems of art making would appear on paper to have a highly unlikely collision let alone collaboration.  According to David Bourbon, the two artists met in May 1979 at Hans Mayer's gallery in Düsseldorf and it was quite the occasion, "For those who witnessed the two men approaching each other across the polished granite floor, the moment had all the ceremonial aura of two rival popes meeting in Avignon." (David Galloway. "Beuys and Warhol: Aftershocks," Art in America, July 1988, p. 121) Immediately thereafter, Warhol began the first Polaroids of Beuys, and by 1980, he began working on the first portraits. The present work, rendered on a nylon laundry bag is a compelling testament to the artistic doctrine to which Warhol and Beuys both ardently subscribed. It was their mantra that anything can be art and anyone can be artists. This radical and utopian vision shook the foundation of the art world to the very core, and is the visual idiom that unites these seemingly disparate artists whose storied fame and legacy eclipsed not only their time, but generations to come.