London – Pop artist Andy Warhol died 35 years ago, but his art remains more vibrant and popular than ever: this Monday (9) the 1964 portrait of actress Marilyn Monroe has already broken the record for the most expensive painting of the 20th century. sold at auction for US$195 million (more than R$1 billion).
“Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” is part of the series that the artist made after Monroe’s death in 1962, which has become a symbol of pop art. The auction reaffirms the popularity of the artist, whose life is illustrated in his recent work for television, broadcast and theatre.
Professors Harriet Fletcher and Declan Lloyd at Lancaster University (UK) explain in an analysis of Wahrol why the artist remained contemporary: his work between the 60s and 80s went through wars, epidemics, and was an LGBT+ reference. some of the reasons that bind it to the new generations.
The work, which Christie’s auctioned in New York, belonged to the children’s charity founded by two Swiss brothers. Thomas and Doris Ammann are now dead. Alex Rotter of the auction house said the painting “exceeds the portrait genre” and is “the absolute pinnacle of American pop”.
The sale broke the previous record for an American artwork at auction for $110.5 million set in 2017 for Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 painting.
Warhol used a promotional photograph of Marilyn Monroe for the 1953 film Niagara, and used a non-mass production technique that better introduced her. each frame in the series It was painted red, orange, blue, sage blue (sold at auction), and turquoise.
The title refers to an incident in which a performance artist shot a stack of four portraits of Marilyn in Warhol’s studio with a pistol, but Shot Sage Blue Marilyn was not actually shot with a bullet.
This video from the Tate Modern gallery in London outlines the life and work of the pop culture symbol.
Why Andy Warhol Is Still Pop
In an article published on the scientific dissemination platform SpeechEnglish teachers explain five reasons why Andy Warhol is still successful and follows a reference for the younger generation.
1. War, deaths and disasters
Just as the invasion of Ukraine brought Russia into the daily news of the world, the 1960s marked the tensions between the country and the United States created during a period known as the Cold War.
Warhol’s “Death and Disaster” series used the same screen printing technique as the iconic soup can artwork, but this time used newspaper images as source material – plane crash reports, poisonings, racial riots and suicides were used to create the works.
Fletcher and Lloyd explain:
“The repeated screen printing process had the ominous effect of a kind of aestheticized post-traumatic stress disorder, and instilled a desire for indifference in times of inevitable tragedy. ‘Being a machine’ (one of Warhol’s most quoted mantras), feeling nothing, was the ultimate escape.
2. HIV ‘Pandemic’
Almost half a century before Covid-19 changed the routine of the planet, another disease terrorized society: HIV. The AIDS virus hit New York on a massive scale, making the city the epicenter of the crisis.
In the 1980s, Andy Warhol infected many of his friends and shared a daily terror in his diaries.
In the article, the professors explain that he ironically referred to AIDS as a “big C” after the media mistakenly dubbed the disease “gay cancer.”
“In his latest works, we see a reworking of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’, a return to his previous style, but with perceptible religious themes.
Some works in the final series even featured headlines from the AIDS crisis, as if they were a final act of religious restoration or perhaps an ironic prayer.”
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3. LGBTQ+ icon
Warhol, now seen as an LGBTQ+ icon, openly gay, faced challenges in the early days of his career and foreign in the New York art community.
The Famous Factory was the art studio opened by the painter, allowing him to embrace his sexuality by hosting a colorful team of LGBTQ+ collaborators, many of whom were immortalized in Lou Reed’s song “Walk on the Wild Side.”
Fletcher and Lloyd note that the “Ladies and Gentlemen” portrait series celebrates the beauty and diversity of New York’s gay scene, which includes transvestites and trans women of color such as Stonewall activist Marsha P. Johnson.
“Warhol’s inclusive vision speaks to the next generation of LGBTQ+ youth, inspired by leading queer icons from Olly Alexander to RuPaul,” they explain.
4. 15 minutes of fame
Andy Warhol has been immersed in the celebrity world since the magazine’s founding. interview magazine Recall the authors of the article until the launch of the MTV show “Andy Warhol’s 15 Minutes”.
“He rose to fame in the early 1970s by hanging out at Studio 54 with stars, many of whom are the subject of his portraits, including Mick Jagger and Liza Minnelli.”
Understanding that the key to fame is visibility, the artist made an accurate and enduring comment in 1968, which is the foundation of our current spectacle society: “Everyone will have fifteen minutes of fame in the future”.
“[Warhol] “We’ve been waiting for the likes of Kim Kardashian, a reality TV star, to become a global superstar and instant fame made possible by ordinary people’s viral moments on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube,” Fletcher and Lloyd said.
5. The Man Behind the Art
In the article, the professors point out that the latest wave of content produced by Andy Warhol has given the artist a newly discovered vulnerability that has caused us to question and reassess who he really is.
“’The Diaries of Andy Warhol’ presents us with a deeply flawed human figure, but it is frighteningly far from the robotic press it was so desperately trying to be.
“It seems that in contemporary times the man or woman behind the art is just as important, if not more so, than the art itself.”
For experts, all recent depictions of his life and work reveal the ever-changing mythology of Andy Warhol, which continues to be shaped by what we want it to be.
Netflix series chronicles the life and art of Andy Warhol
The auction of Marylin’s painting should further increase the popularity of the painter, whose life is illustrated in her recent works for television, broadcast and theatre.
“Andy Warhol’s Diaries”, a Netflix documentary series released in March, chronicles the life and work of the American painter in six episodes.
The series and its auction at Christie’s are cited by professors Harriet Fletcher and Declan Lloyd as one of the last cultural productions to bring more visibility to the artist’s career, become known for art pop and become a true cultural symbol.
The BBC also produced the documentary series “Andy Warhol’s America” about the life of a painter.
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source: Noticias
