History of Science & Technology, Including Fossils, Minerals, & Meteorites

Online Auction: 14–28 April 2021 • 2:00 PM EDT • New York

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

A nearly 3 foot tall, painted wooden bust, ca 18th century (35 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 15 in.; 90 by 57 by 38 cm)
^{ESTIMATE $200,000 – 300,000}
While it is unknown exactly when Warhol acquired the bust, the earliest documentary evidence of it being in his possession occurs in 1974-75. A photo by Bob Colacello shows the front room of the Factory, which moved to 860 Broadway in 1974; the photo shows Warhol and the president of Andy Warhol Enterprises, Fred Hughes with bust prominently posed on the table. (Bob Colacelo, “Holy Terror: Andy Warhol Close Up”, 2014). In 1975, it became the subject of one of the numerous Polaroid portraits Warhol snapped of friends & celebrities.

Through the 1980s, Warhol staged the bust time and again in a variety of photographs at the factory. In the spring of 1981, he thoughtfully posed with it at the other end of his desk at the Factory, his collection of Halston shoes and a typewriter set between them. It was one of many photographs which were unveiled by Manhattan’s Maison Gerard gallery in their exhibition “Two Days in the Life of Andy Warhol” from Dec 10th 2015 – Jan 7th 2016.