L13023

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拍品 182
  • 182

Andy Warhol

估價
250,000 - 350,000 GBP
招標截止

描述

  • 安迪·沃荷
  • Lenin
  • signed and dated 86 on the overlap
  • acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas
  • 56 by 40.6cm.; 22 by 16in.

來源

Galerie Bernd Klüser, Munich
Private Collection, London
Sale: Christie's, London, Post-War and Contemporary Art, 21 June 2007, Lot 398
Coskun Fine Arts, London
Private Collection, Europe

展覽

Munich, Galerie Bernd Klüser, Lenin by Warhol, 1987, p. 45, illustrated in colour

Condition

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is evidence of light wear towards the edges and corner tips. 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."

拍品資料及來源

Projecting a commanding sense of power and authority, Lenin is an iconic work from Andy Warhol’s last major series, based on a propagandistic photograph of the first leader of the U.S.S.R.  Completed shortly before Warhol’s death, the entire series was exhibited in Munich at Galerie Bernd Klüser in 1987, a show which poignantly opened only two days after the artist’s unexpected demise. In the present work, Lenin’s stern gaze is outlined in bold yellow and bright white pigment, reinforcing the subject’s imposing expression, whilst the peachy hues of the face contrast to brilliant effect with the inky depths of the black background. The source photograph for this series was brought to Warhol’s attention by gallery owner Bernd Klüser: a close-up of a group shot originally taken in 1897, the image had been modified in 1948 in order to remove the figures standing around Lenin, many of whom had become ideological or political opponents by the time the Bolshevik leader assumed power in 1917.

Alongside Warhol’s other iconic series, in particular those focusing on Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy and Elvis, Warhol was able to create portraits of immense power in which the subject remains remote and at a distance, projecting a public rather than a personal image. Warhol instantly recognised the potential of the Lenin photograph, and was inspired to work on the series throughout 1986 as Klüser recalled, “We agreed that he would do a series of pictures in three different sizes, together with a set of drawings and collages and a silkscreen print edition… Our experiments with the prints over a period of several months had a considerable influence on the eventual look of the series as a whole. The range of colours was reduced, the drawing round the head was modified, and the background became a deep black, as in the original photograph…” (Bernd Klüser, in Exhibition Catalogue, Munich, Galerie Bernd Klüser, Lenin by Warhol, 1987, p. 68). The use of colour within the series is more bold and definitive, in many respects, than within several of Warhol’s earlier series: the solid colour blocks of the background instil the portraits with an extraordinary sense of gravity and profundity, whilst the brushwork on the surface reinforces Lenin’s defined contours and re-emphasises the impression of strength. The result here is an immensely painting that brilliantly encapsulates Warhol’s extraordinary eye for colour, while presenting the viewer with a subversive reworking of the traditional portrait genre.