Andy Warhol

Roy Halston Frowick, New York (acquired directly from the artist)
Edmundson Art Foundation, Inc., Des Moines (gift from the above)
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, Contemporary Art Part II, 9 May 1990, Lot 387 
Private Collection, Pittsburgh
Sale: Sotheby's New York, Contemporary Art Part II, 13 November 2002, Lot 235
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

 

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the tonality of the face is pinker in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Close inspection reveals some very faint and unobstrusive handling marks to all four edges. There is a short hairline crack measuring 5mm above the left shoulder as visible in the catalogue illustration. No restoration is apparent 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."

"[Andy's] love of what you did made you feel so good, he made you feel special."

Liza Minelli quoted in: Steven Bluttel, Ed., Andy Warhol "Giant Size", New York 2006, p. 481.


Liza is one of Andy Warhol’s most iconic portraits of the 1970s, a visually arresting image which epitomises and perfectly distils the glamour of the celebrity culture that so obsessed the artist throughout his career. A direct heir to the world-renowned portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy and Liz Taylor, Liza further anticipates the greatest portraits of the 1980s - from Debbie Harry to the remarkable late self-portraits - in its uninterrupted engagement with the viewer and bold use of colour. Minnelli’s eyes gaze directly into those of the onlooker, a distinctively Warholian tease, whilst her glossy, voluptuous lips purse in a seductive pout. With shadows sharply delineated against the curves of her face, she appears to be caught in the glare of a papparazzi flash, yet the cool and collected expression indicates a woman firmly in control of her public persona and supremely confident in the power of her beauty. By selecting the unusual 14 inch format, Warhol ensures that Minnelli’s features project from the canvas with immense power, almost in the manner of a votive icon to be worshipped and adored; yet Liza is an intensely contemporary icon which glorifies celebrity and fame.

As the celebrated child of two famous parents, Minnelli was a fitting subject for Warhol. Not only had both Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli been immortalised by the artist, but Minnelli herself was at the peak of her celebrity due to her successful film and television career. Following her Oscar and Golden Globe wins for Cabaret in 1972, her appearances in Lucky Lady (1975) and New York, New York (1977) garnered her further acclaim. Married to a film director, she epitomised the money-no-object world of glitz and glamour that energised Warhol and spurred him onto create some of his greatest portraits.

Dating from 1978, Lizawas created at a time when Warhol’s portraiture had achieved an astonishing level of international recognition. The artist’s lifestyle appeared to be an endless social whirl of glamorous events as he savoured his status as a celebrity in his own right, as sought after and written about as many of his subjects. Riches, power and fame had exerted a powerful attraction on the artist from a young age, and he consciously sought out subjects who ideally epitomised all three; from a veritable roll-call of the greatest of the New York dealers, including Leo Castelli and Ileana Sonnabend, to rock stars such as Mick Jagger and fashion tastemakers as varied as Yves Saint Laurent and Carolina Herrera. Even politicians were not immune to the lure of being immortalised by Warhol. At a White House Reception in 1977 President Jimmy Carter proudly had his portrait displayed in the presence of the delighted artist. A portrait by Warhol automatically placed its subject within an international pantheon of the most successful, recognisable faces of the age, conveying a form of immortality to counteract the transience of celebrity.

In its dramatic simplicity of line and vibrant contrasts of colour, Liza stands out amongst Warhol’s portraits of the 1970s, in which he frequently included exuberant, feathery brushstrokes in the background as though in a playful homage to Abstract Expressionism. So extensive are these taches of paint in some portraits of the period - such as those of Henry Geldzahler - the subject becomes almost obscured.  In contrast, Minnelli’s striking features almost leap from the canvas, unimpeded by brushwork or experimental techniques. Once Warhol had chosen a photograph that would become the basis of the portrait, the image was sent off to a fine art printer – usually Chromacomp Inc. - to be turned into a silkscreen, which Warhol would transfer to canvas. The final stage was the most crucial; Warhol would unleash the extraordinary combinations of acids and pastels for which he was renowned to enhance the subject’s natural features. By the late 1970s the artist had honed his silkscreen technique to exquisite perfection, and Liza is unusually technically complex, featuring as many as eight different layers of colour; a level of care and detail that Warhol only paid to the subjects he considered to be the most fascinating and worthy of his attention. Lips and eyes were always a particular area of focus within the portraits, and in Liza the artist has chosen to emphasise the lips even more than usual by means of printing the mouth independently with red enamel in order to ensure greater definition and vibrancy; the result is to elevate Minnelli’s mouth to the heights of being a glorified portrait subject in its own right.

Here, Liza is a loving homage not only to an actress at the height of her powers, but also to the celebrity lifestyle that Minnelli represented; one which Warhol sought to glorify and commemorate by means of elevating a humble photograph to a level beyond realism, seeking to perpetuate the myth of a celebrity untouched by mundane daily concerns.