NOT SOLD (BIDDING OVER)
0.00USD+ applicable fees & taxes.
This item WAS NOT SOLD. Auction date was 2003 May 15 @ 19:00UTC-05:00 : EST/CDT
ANDY WARHOL
(1928-1987)
SELF-PORTRAIT (TWO WORKS)
each stamped with Foundation seal on the reverse; each stamped with Foundation and Estate seals and numbered (P040-047-P040-045, respectively) on the overlap
synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen on canvas
22 x 22 in. (55.9 x 55.9 cm) each
executed in 1986
ESTIMATE: $800,000-1,200,000
PROVENANCE
Robert Miller Gallery, NEW YORK
Barbara Mathes Gallery, NEW YORK
EXHIBITED
LONDON, Anthony d'Offay Gallery, ANDY WARHOL, VANITAS: SKULLS AND SELF-PORTRAITS 1976-1986, November 28, 1995-January 27, 1996 (green canvas exhibited)
LUDWIGSHAFEN, Wilhelm-Hack Museum, September 15, 1996-
January 6, 1997
"If you want to know all about Andy Warhol," the artist once explained, "just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am. There's nothing behind it" (Quoted in Gretchen Berg, "Nothing to Lose: An Interview with Andy Warhol," Cahiers du Cinema in English, no. 10, 1967, p. 56). Despite such evasions, the present work from his final series of self-portraits ultimately offers poignant insight into the artist's self-appraisal at the end of his life.
As the present work demonstrates, Warhol silkscreened photographs of himself onto square canvases, floating brightly colored images of his own head on fields of utter blackness. The apparent simplicity of these paintings, combined with the impassive expression on the artist's face, seems to perpetuate the mysterious, tight-lipped, artistic persona that Warhol cultivated over his life. Although the artist produced various self-portraits throughout his career, he usually pictured himself hiding behind shadows, sunglasses, or the cosmetics of drag. In his final self-portraits, however, Warhol stares directly at his audience. This unblinking expression is uncommonly candid, and confronts the viewer with the artist's aging appearance. Warhol himself revealed his preoccupation with his appearance in these portraits in his diary on Tuesday, February 25, 1986. The artist recorded that he "tried on wigs from Fiorucci but it looked like too much of a big hat wig, too outrageous. This is for the Self-Portraits" (Pat Hackett, ed., the Andy Warhol Diaries, Warner Books, 1989, p. 716). Warhol's visage by this time was, of course, almost totally invented: the hair belonged to one of dozens of wigs, the skin had been dermatologically transformed and constantly tautened through the use of astringents, and the sunken cheeks had been smoothed out with collagen injections.
Despite the artificiality of his appearance, the face was still reconcilable with that of the clear-eyed teenager who had drawn an earnest self-portrait in his high school art class. The 40-odd years between that early pencil drawing and the last self-portraits had certainly heightened his awareness of human vanity and prepared him to contemplate his own mortality. Though he did his best to suppress morbid thoughts, references to death and disaster continued to slide into his art" (David Bourdon, Warhol, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1989, p. 402). In addition to his timeworn facial features, other aspects of Warhol's final self-portraits make oblique reference to death. Unlike most of Warhol's portraiture, where the neck and shoulders of his sitters are clearly visible, the present work obliterates any sense of the artist's torso. When rendered in the graphic tones of a silkscreen, his free-floating face seems thin and insubstantial. This apparitional appearance is only enhanced by Warhol's flyaway wig. Cropped at the top of the canvas, the uppermost strands seem to dangle the head from above, and lend this image a ghastly, noose-like suspension.
The present work may also be read as a celebration of sheer artistic genius. The same wig that suspends Warhol's head also explodes in every direction, and the shocks of hair dissolve into strokes and splatters of pure pigment. These expressive tendrils of paint provide a compelling counterpoint to the rectitude of Warhol's facial expression. In the final analysis, they seem to symbolize the boundless creative energies that flowed from Warhol's mind, even in the months just prior to his passing.
Auction Location:
United States
Previewing Details:
Saturday May 3, 2003 10am to 5pm, Sunday May 4, 2003 1pm to 5pm, Monday May 5, 2003 10am to 5pm, Tuesday May 6, 2003 10am to 5pm, Wednesday May 7, 2003 10am to 5pm, Thursday May 8, 2003 10am to 5pm, Friday May 9, 2003 10am to 5pm, Saturday May 10, 2003 10am to 5pm, Sunday May 11, 2003 1pm to 5pm, Monday May 12, 2003 10am to 5pm, Tuesday May 13, 2003 10am to 5pm, Wednesday May 14, 2003 10am to 5pm, Thursday May 15, 2003 10am to 2pm
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
No Info Available
Payment Details:
No Info Available
Conditions of sale applicable to buyers
1 BUYERS PREMIUM WILL BE CHARGED AT 15% ON THE FIRST CHF 70,000 OF THE HAMMER PRICE OF EACH LOT, AND AT 10% THEREAFTER. FOR LOTS MARKED WITH THE SYMBOL () IN THE CATALOGUE, THE BUYER HAS TO PAY SWISS VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT) AT 7.6% ONLY ON THE BUYERS PREMIUM, NOT ON THE HAMMER PRICE. FOR LOTS WITHOUT THE SYMBOL (), VAT OF 7.6% IS APPLICABLE ON THE HAMMER PRICE AND THE BUYERS PREMIUM. This VAT is refundable to non-Swiss resident buyers who, within 30 days following the sale, present to PHILLIPS, de PURY & LUXEMBOURG LIMITED (hereinafter PHILLIPS) the export declaration, duly stamped by Swiss customs, proving that the goods have left Switzerland. Non-stamped declarations are invalid.
2 Every lot is sold with all faults and errors of description and PHILLIPS disclaim, for themselves and for the vendors, all responsibility, in particular for authenticity, age, origin, condition or quality. Any statement, whether contained in the catalogue or expressed orally, is considered a statement of opinion only and not a statement of fact. PHILLIPS GIVES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES. Purchasers are deemed to have satisfied themselves on authenticity, condition, etc., before bidding.
3 The Auctioneer has absolute discretion to divide any lot, to combine two or more lots, to withdraw any lots, to refuse bids, and to regulate the bidding. He may bid on the vendor’s behalf for all goods which are being offered subject to a reserve or at the Auctioneer’s discretion.
4 The highest bidder shall be the buyer. In case of disagreement the lot or lots will immediately be reoffered by the Auctioneer. No claim will be accepted once the adjudication has been given.
5 When the reserve price has not been reached, the lot will be passed at the fall of the hammer.
6 Bids from clients unknown to PHILLIPS, the Auctioneer, or the Stadtammann of Zurich might not be accepted unless accompanied by a full cash deposit, or a bank reference, which must arrive in good time to be taken up before the sale at PHILLIPS, Kreuzstrasse 54, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland. The Auctioneer retains full authority to refuse these bids.
7 PHILLIPS requires that all prospective buyers use a bidding number in place of their names.
8 Persons not present at the sale may leave their bids with the Auctioneer or the Stadtammann of Zurich. The prices on these bidding forms will be treated as maximum hammer price, excluding premium or taxes. Alterations to these forms can only be accepted in writing up to the evening preceding the sale.
9 Payment can be made in cash, by bank cheque or by wire transfer. Cash payments must be made in Swiss Francs. PHILLIPS reserves the right to refuse immediate clearance of goods when paid for by wiretransfer or by cheque, whether drawn on a Swiss or foreign bank.
10 Payment of the purchase price is due within seven days after sale. Interest of 1.5% (expenses included) per month on the purchase price will be charged if payment is not received within these seven days. PHILLIPS reserves the right to resell unpaid items after the period of seven days by auction or privately without notice to the buyer. In this event PHILLIPS may claim from the defaulter damages including all loss arising from any resale of the lot together with the charges and expenses in respect of both sales. Any money deposited in part payment shall be held by PHILLIPS against the defaulter’s liability.
11 No purchase shall be claimed or removed until PHILLIPS has received full payment of the purchase price. All lots shall be removed at the buyer’s risk and expense. Purchases will be held for collection at no charge for 28 days. All purchases not collected within such period are subject to a minimum warehousing charge of CHF 10 per lot per day. If purchases are not removed within 60 days of the sale, PHILLIPS may deposit the lot at the buyer’s risk and expense. PHILLIPS shall not be responsible if the lots in storage are lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. Any liability which there may be on the part of PHILLIPS in respect of any loss shall be restricted to a maximum of the price paid by the purchaser of the lot. Clearance of purchases, other than by the purchaser, must be carried out by a person specified on the written direction of the buyer. ON REQUEST, PHILLIPS WILL QUOTE FOR DOOR-TO-DOOR TRANSPORT OF PURCHASED ITEMS. ALL COSTS INCURRED BY SHIPPING, CUSTOMS AND INSURANCE WILL BE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE BUYER.
12 Every person attending the public exhibition or the sales shall be deemed to be there at his own risk. He shall have no claim against PHILLIPS in respect of any injury he may sustain or any accident which may occur.
13 Any person causing damage to an item will be held legally responsible.
14 Notice of all forthcoming Auction Sales will appear in “La Feuille d’Avis Officielle”/ “Schweizerisches Handelsamtsblatt” and all interested parties are welcome to consult the Conditions of Sale at this time.
15 Any dispute concerning the auction/sale shall be governed by Swiss law and settled by the ORDINARY COURTS IN ZURICH.
16 The auction takes place under the supervision of the Stadtammannamt Zurich. The Canton and City of Zurich and particularly the Stadtammannamt Zurich bear no liability for the decisions taken by the auctioneer.