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Lot Essay
As a golden legend of Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe captivated a young Andy Warhol. She exuded glamour as a powerhouse on the silver screen, however; her personal life was plagued with tragedy. Between three high-profile marriages all ending in divorce, her struggle with addiction, and her apparent suicide in 1962, she fascinated the nation. Warhol had met Marilyn a handful of times in New York City and avidly followed her career. Beginning in the early 1960s, shortly after her suicide, Warhol began fervently creating images of Marilyn. To him, she was a perfect subject: she personified glamour and tragedy and her naivete granted her a magnetic pull. Regarding her as a kindred spirit, Warhol sympathized with the idea of a fellow artist, an actress, who was under-appreciated by her peers and whose creative talents were often misunderstood and rarely celebrated for their nuances. Speaking on Warhol’s fascination with the starlet, Tony Scherman stated, “Marilyn’s image exuded sensual mischief and a childlike joy, but her life was a non-stop disaster- and she came to embody the gap between glamorous appearance and personal tragedy” (T. Scherman and D. Dalton, POP: The Genius of Andy Warhol, New York, 2001, p. 125). The present lots are excellent examples of a theme so prevalent throughout the artist’s oeuvre and the formal elements make these intriguing paintings that showcase Warhol’s dedication to innovation and experimentation.
For these two Marilyn canvases, the actress is rendered in bright blue, sea green and vibrant coral set against a saturated black. The image of the actress was appropriated from a cropped section of a still from the 1953 film Niagara and Warhol reversed the color scheme in order to create these paintings. The instantly recognizable features of the actress are clearly visible, despite the limited means with which they have been rendered. Marilyn is an wonderful example of a motif so prevalent throughout the artist’s oeuvre and the reversal of the color scheme makes these paintings even more unique and interesting. There is, however, more to Marilyn than the captivatingly bold contrasting colors and refreshed approach to composition.
Warhol’s numerous representations of Marilyn have, in some ways, surpassed the fame of the actress herself. These depictions have become emblematic of Warhol and his body of work, and they explore themes relevant throughout his career: glamour, beauty and death. Beginning in the early 1960s, Warhol rendered his subject through a vast variety of means. For the present lot, he juxtaposed a colorful background, reminiscent of the disco era in which it was created, against the stark black colors. This sharp contrast and innovative format effectively created an eerie x-ray image that lends itself an air of mystery. The haunting element comes when the viewer realizes that the kind, generous, humble and funny character of the young women has been stripped of her humanity to become an iconic pop symbol. “[Warhol’s] Marilyn, Liz and Jackie become religious relics, and like Leonardo’s La Giocanda, they are portraits of women radiating beauty. They are not photographs of public stars, but icons of our time” (P. Brant, Women of Warhol, Marilyn, Liz and Jackie, exh. cat., C&M Arts, New York, 2000, p. 3).
In the late 1970s, Warhol entered a retrospective phase in his career. Revisiting early images which made him so famous, he set out to explore the creative potential of them. He re-incarnated subjects such as Mao, his flowers, and, as demonstrated by the present lot, Marilyn Monroe. This retrospective phase led him to create his Reversal Series, of which Marilyn is an early example. Created between 1979 and 1986, this series was executed at the peak of Warhol’s fame. By reversing the iconic image of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol reinvented her image through a post-modern interpretation and effectively re-contextualized an appropriation of an appropriation. Of all of the paintings from this series, the Marilyns are most successful in making a lasting impression with their haunting intensity. “Warhol’s Reversals recapitulate his portraits of famous faces but with the tonal values reversed. As if the spectator was looking at photographic negatives, highlighted faces have gone dark while former shadows now rush forward. The reversed Marilyns, especially, have an otherworldly glow, as if illuminated by internal footlights” (D. Bourdon, Warhol, New York, 1989, p. 378).
The present lots are not only incredible early examples of Warhol’s pivotal Reversal Series, they also emphasize Warhol’s importance as an artist. He was unafraid to re-contextualize and refresh his older images for a new generation. Warhol’s dedication to innovation and his continuing willingness to experiment was paramount throughout his lengthy career and these images of Marilyn are wonderful celebrations of his practice.
For these two Marilyn canvases, the actress is rendered in bright blue, sea green and vibrant coral set against a saturated black. The image of the actress was appropriated from a cropped section of a still from the 1953 film Niagara and Warhol reversed the color scheme in order to create these paintings. The instantly recognizable features of the actress are clearly visible, despite the limited means with which they have been rendered. Marilyn is an wonderful example of a motif so prevalent throughout the artist’s oeuvre and the reversal of the color scheme makes these paintings even more unique and interesting. There is, however, more to Marilyn than the captivatingly bold contrasting colors and refreshed approach to composition.
Warhol’s numerous representations of Marilyn have, in some ways, surpassed the fame of the actress herself. These depictions have become emblematic of Warhol and his body of work, and they explore themes relevant throughout his career: glamour, beauty and death. Beginning in the early 1960s, Warhol rendered his subject through a vast variety of means. For the present lot, he juxtaposed a colorful background, reminiscent of the disco era in which it was created, against the stark black colors. This sharp contrast and innovative format effectively created an eerie x-ray image that lends itself an air of mystery. The haunting element comes when the viewer realizes that the kind, generous, humble and funny character of the young women has been stripped of her humanity to become an iconic pop symbol. “[Warhol’s] Marilyn, Liz and Jackie become religious relics, and like Leonardo’s La Giocanda, they are portraits of women radiating beauty. They are not photographs of public stars, but icons of our time” (P. Brant, Women of Warhol, Marilyn, Liz and Jackie, exh. cat., C&M Arts, New York, 2000, p. 3).
In the late 1970s, Warhol entered a retrospective phase in his career. Revisiting early images which made him so famous, he set out to explore the creative potential of them. He re-incarnated subjects such as Mao, his flowers, and, as demonstrated by the present lot, Marilyn Monroe. This retrospective phase led him to create his Reversal Series, of which Marilyn is an early example. Created between 1979 and 1986, this series was executed at the peak of Warhol’s fame. By reversing the iconic image of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol reinvented her image through a post-modern interpretation and effectively re-contextualized an appropriation of an appropriation. Of all of the paintings from this series, the Marilyns are most successful in making a lasting impression with their haunting intensity. “Warhol’s Reversals recapitulate his portraits of famous faces but with the tonal values reversed. As if the spectator was looking at photographic negatives, highlighted faces have gone dark while former shadows now rush forward. The reversed Marilyns, especially, have an otherworldly glow, as if illuminated by internal footlights” (D. Bourdon, Warhol, New York, 1989, p. 378).
The present lots are not only incredible early examples of Warhol’s pivotal Reversal Series, they also emphasize Warhol’s importance as an artist. He was unafraid to re-contextualize and refresh his older images for a new generation. Warhol’s dedication to innovation and his continuing willingness to experiment was paramount throughout his lengthy career and these images of Marilyn are wonderful celebrations of his practice.