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Details
Andy Warhol (1928-1987)
Joseph Beuys
signed 'Andy Warhol' (on the overlap)
synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen inks on canvas
20 x 15 7/8in. (50.8 x 40.2cm.)
Executed circa 1983
Joseph Beuys
signed 'Andy Warhol' (on the overlap)
synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen inks on canvas
20 x 15 7/8in. (50.8 x 40.2cm.)
Executed circa 1983
Provenance
Galerie Silvia Menzel, Berlin.
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1984.
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1984.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis
Further details
The mystifying image of Joseph Beuys appears like a saint, his hat acting as a halo above his head. Warhol has made Beuys an icon of his time as much as Marilyn or Elvis. And like the latter two idols, Beuys' tragic death, a year before Warhol's own untimely demise, has bestowed on him a martyr-like status that is strangely predicted in the meditative beauty of this portrait. Beuys, with his trademark felt hat and army waistcoat, carefully created an immediately identifiable physical image that both affirmed and transcended his art.
This portrait of Beuys reflects the mutual interest and respect both artists had for each other's work. As David Bourdon wrote, "their art was formally and thematically quite different, the artists were frequently linked by critics who perceived them as possessing an almost alchemical ability to transform ordinary objects into valuable art works." (quoted in Warhol, New York 1989, p. 385).
Warhol met Beuys in Hans Mayer's Gallery, Dusseldorf, on 18 May 1979 and immediately started making paintings with the image of this shamanic and mystically revered artist. Warhol always knew when he met a star. He was acutely aware of those people whose persona transcended what he called 'fifteen minutes of fame'.
This portrait of Beuys reflects the mutual interest and respect both artists had for each other's work. As David Bourdon wrote, "their art was formally and thematically quite different, the artists were frequently linked by critics who perceived them as possessing an almost alchemical ability to transform ordinary objects into valuable art works." (quoted in Warhol, New York 1989, p. 385).
Warhol met Beuys in Hans Mayer's Gallery, Dusseldorf, on 18 May 1979 and immediately started making paintings with the image of this shamanic and mystically revered artist. Warhol always knew when he met a star. He was acutely aware of those people whose persona transcended what he called 'fifteen minutes of fame'.