Andy Warhol

Liz Taylor first appears in Warhol’s art in 1962 and has become one of the faces that is most associated with the artist. The portrait which fills the entire surface (on both paper and canvas) is a promotional photograph released when Taylor launched her film “Butterfield 8” in 1960. It is not unusual in the world of Warhol that the celebrities he uses has a tragic personal undertone. Liz Taylor was a celebrated movie star but also equally known for her failed marriages, her health and financial situation. In the same way as Marilyn Monroe, who Warhol also featured in his art, the tragic echo of their personal lives becomes another layer of the artwork that transcends the glamour. In the colour offset featured in this sale the lips and eyes have been heavily accentuated which puts the viewer in front of an artwork that combines glamour, camp and kitsch which was some of the ingredients Warhol loved.