Andy Warhol

Galerie Ileana Sonnabend, Paris
Attilio Codognato, Venice
Private Collection, Italy
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

George Frei and Neil Printz, Eds., The Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonné: Paintings and Sculptures, vol. 2B, 1964-1969, New York 2004, p. 85, no. 1596, illustrated in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is evidence of light wear to the extreme corner tips. Very close inspection reveals extremely fine, stable, characteristic tension cracks running intermittently in places along the extreme outer edges. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet 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."

With arresting vibrancy and refined elegance, Flowers is one of the most iconic images of Pop Art. One of only eighteen pink eight inch canvases on a white background, the present work is striking example of the potency of this renowned series.

Originally inspired by Patricia Caufield's series of colour photographs of seven hibiscus plants published in the June 1964 issue of Modern Photography, the series was an immediate success, and was showcased at the seminal Flower exhibitions in 1964 and 1965 at the Leo Castelli and Sonnabend Galleries in New York. A departure from Warhol's morbid 1962-63 Death and Disaster series and the artist's continued concern with popular culture and consumerism, the more abstract nature of the flower as a subject was a new artistic endeavour. Nevertheless, Warhol was undoubtedly toying with the classical symbolic significance of the hibiscus, a flower that is often seen to represent both the transience of life, as well as the fleeting quality of beauty, and therefore establishing an intellectual continuation of the sombre tone that underlies his entire oeuvre.

His play on the traditional genre of the Still Life painting can be seen as a contemporary reworking of an old-aged motif, following the great art historical traditions of Dutch masters and Nineteenth Century painters, whilst promoting a completely modern aesthetic. With his finger firmly on the pulse of avant-garde movements Warhol's new artistic endeavour bore not only a symbolic significance. Beat poet Allen Ginsberg's term "Flower Power", coined only a year after Warhol created his first flower motif, would come to be known as the Zeitgeist of a generation.

With its fluorescent shade of pink and elegant white background Flowers exudes the playful and flamboyant fashions of the 1960s and stands as an outstanding example of Warhol's unique ability to create a historically resonant image.