Andy Warhol

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, New York
Gagosian Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

George Frei and Neil Printz, Eds., The Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonné, Volume 2A: Paintings and Sculptures 1964-1969, New York 2004, p. 257, no. 1274; p. 258, no. 1276; p. 260, no. 1279; p. 263, no. 1284, illustrated in colour
Exhibition Catalogue, Monaco, Grimaldi Forum, SuperWarhol, 2003, p.146, no. 83, illustrated in colour as a group

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the illustration fails to convey the strip of silver at the top left corner of the top left canvas. The works are also more cream in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is very light canvas draw to the top right corner of the top right canvas. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals a number of small spots of restoration scattered throughout to each canvas, which are not visible to the naked eye.
"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."

Borrowing both process and iconography from commercial culture, Warhol applies his Pop aesthetic to the tradition of portraiture in Watson Powell, also referred to as The American Man, from 1964. Commissioned by American Republic Insurance of Des Moines, the work depicts the company's founder, Watson Powell Sr., whose publicity photograph is the basis for the work.

 

Four repeated images of Powell constitute the portrait, each of them faintly diverse through the printing process and tempered application of paint. This format has intentionally biographical connotations: "Isn't life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?" (the artist cited in: Victor Bockris, The Life and Death of Andy Warhol, New York 1989, p. 326). This seriality also commoditises Powell, as does the title, The American Man, which lends him an aura of homogeneity and anonymity.  His identity is pluralised both literally and philosophically, as Warhol presents him as an icon of the quintessential American businessman. The very means of the work's creative execution, which includes the mechanised technique of silkscreen used in advertising, alludes to Powell's commercial role.

 

In the chronological context of Warhol's production, The American Man was created a year after the Death and Disaster works; indeed, despite being a commissioned portrait, there exists an ironic relationship between the two series. Given Warhol's entirely independent return to the sober insurance executive, the solemnity of Watson Powell's stoic likeness can be viewed as an emblem of the American virtues of responsibility, stoicism, and prosperity, whilst simultaneously acting as a foil to the chaos and catastrophe depicted in the works of the year prior.  In Warhol's own words: "Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art... Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art" (Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B & Back Again), New York 1975, p. 92).