Warhol recounts an encounter between himself, Sandro Chia, and Warhol’s Factory assistant Benjamin Liu that took place on Thursday, June 16, 1983—
“…Benjamin said he looked in Chia’s eyes and that they were “wild eyes.” And afterwards I said to Benjamin, “Well what do you mean?” I said, “Look into my eyes and what do you see?” And Benjamin said, “Troubled eyes.” I said, “Oh who do you think you are?”]]>
Warhol first met Beuys in 1979 at an art opening in Düsseldorf, Germany. Mere moments after meeting Beuys, Warhol asked to photograph him. Perhaps because of the public setting, Warhol only took one shot of Beuys, rather than his typical multitude of poses per subject (like the Polaroids of artist Sandro Chia in the center case). The photograph of Beuys, which served as a “sketch,” became the basis for a series of screen print portraits with many variations. Some held only a single, monochromatic image of Beuys. Others, like this one, bear Warhol’s recognizable multiplicity of brightly-colored images. In a nod to Beuys’ own preferred materials, one of which was felt, Warhol covered this portrait of the artist with rayon flocking.

Warhol’s humorous diary entry from a later encounter with Beuys demonstrates both his respect for the artist and his openness regarding what constitutes finished work of art.
Sunday, March 8, 1981 Düsseldorf—“We had breakfast with Joseph Beuys, he insisted that I come to his house and see his studio and the way he lives and have tea and cake, it was really nice. He gave me a work of art which was two bottles of effervescent water which ended up exploding in my suitcase and damaging everything I have, so I can’t open the box now, because I don’t know if it’s a work of art anymore or just broken bottles. So if he comes to New York I’ve got to get him to come sign the box because it’s just a real muck.”]]>
The themes of repetition, celebrity, and glamour became synonymous with Warhol, not only in his screen prints, but also in his documentation of life. The photograph at the right, Table, encapsulates these themes in a single frame. The composition revolves around the repeated table settings, the reflection of the camera’s flash, and the empty chairs holding the promise of prominent and glamorous event attendees.

The screen print of Queen Ntombi Twala of Swaziland comes from Warhol’s Reigning Queens series, which also included portraits of Queen Elizabeth II of England, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and Queen Magrethe II of Denmark. Warhol based the images on existing photographs of the queens, but used abstract shapes and large blocks of color to achieve a collaged effect in a screen print medium. He enhanced the effect by adding diamond dust, tiny bits of cut glass designed to catch and reflect light, to the surface layer of ink. This sparkle also lends a sense of opulence to the queens, each of whom ruled in her own right rather than through a male relative.

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From the original 36 trial proofs of the Cowboys and Indians portfolio, comprised of 14 images each, Warhol chose only 10 for his final portfolio. Buffalo Nickel and Sitting Bull, seen here, were two of the four images removed. Buffalo Nickel depicts the reverse of the coin designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser and struck by the US Mint from 1913-1938. The coin was also known as the Indian Head nickel because of the profile image of a Native American seen on the coin’s face.

The Latin phrase e pluribus unum (“out of many, one”), appears on the coin and in the screen print. The motto is generally understood as representing the many states that form the United States of America or, alternately, many different people united under one flag. The phrase takes on a complicated, tragic meaning when applied to a coin that commemorates Native Americans, who suffered horrific loss of life during the late nineteenth-century American westward expansion. Likewise, the buffalo that had once been ubiquitous to the North American plains had been hunted to near extinction by the time the coin was produced.]]>
To create Cowboys and Indians, Warhol and his Factory studio assistants produced 36 trial proofs of 14 images in various colors, tonalities, and positions. From these, Warhol selected his favorite versions of the 10 images that constituted the final series and ran an edition (a series of multiple originals) of 250 prints for each image. The Annie Oakley screen print at left was included in the edition, while the print at the right is an unfinished or perhaps discarded version that remained in Warhol’s possession. The editioned print is replete with detail, from the inticate medals pinned to Oakley’s shirt to her individual strands of hair. The unfinished print displays fewer layers of ink than the finished version, most obviously lacking Warhol’s characteristic photo reproduction layer. The result is striking. Simple outlines form Oakley’s face and subtly suggest the medals on her shirt, allowing the viewer to fill in detail or simply appreciate the unrestrained, yet minimalistic, composition of color and line.]]>
To create Cowboys and Indians, Warhol and his Factory studio assistants produced 36 trial proofs of 14 images in various colors, tonalities, and positions. From these, Warhol selected his favorite versions of the 10 images that constituted the final series and ran an edition (a series of multiple originals) of 250 prints for each image. The Annie Oakley screen print at left was included in the edition, while the print at the right is an unfinished or perhaps discarded version that remained in Warhol’s possession. The editioned print is replete with detail, from the inticate medals pinned to Oakley’s shirt to her individual strands of hair. The unfinished print displays fewer layers of ink than the finished version, most obviously lacking Warhol’s characteristic photo reproduction layer. The result is striking. Simple outlines form Oakley’s face and subtly suggest the medals on her shirt, allowing the viewer to fill in detail or simply appreciate the unrestrained, yet minimalistic, composition of color and line.]]> Image: 29 1/2 x 25 3/4 in. (74.9 x 65.4 cm)]]> Image: 30 x 26 in. (76.2 x 66 cm)]]>