Andy Warhol Drawings 1942 1987

This whimsical collection of Andy Warhol's early drawings reveals the visual musings of the man before he became the legend. The relatively unknown experiments in commercial illustration collected here were created between 1950 and 1960, pre-dating his more famous paintings and prints. Fanciful, vibrant and bold, these early drawings of fashion, animals, food, and cherubs display the signature bright colors, distinctiveness of line, and repetition of unexpected images that would spark a Pop Art revolution. Beyond demonstrating the playfulness that made Warhol a household name, these illustrations are a visual treat in their own right. Interspersed with quintessential Warhol quotations, this petite volume is a must-have for dedicated Warhol devotees and a delightful discovery for a new generation of fans.

In this visual complement to The Andy Warhol Diaries—a snake who might be Warhol himself chronicles his attempts to scale the social ladder This is the never-before-published story of a snake trying to make it in the world of sixties high society, strongly suggested to be a stand-in for Warhol himself. The snake’s tongue-in-cheek observations as he slithers from adorning Jackie Kennedy’s boots to embellishing Coco Chanel’s shirt will delight the sophisticated fashion crowd. But the stars of the show are Warhol’s whimsical illustrations, revivified with a color scheme inspired by his iconic Pop Art. Before he achieved his dream of making it big in New York, Andy Warhol worked in advertising for a leather goods company, Fleming-Joffe, alongside Ogden Nash and Piero Fornasetti. It was for Fleming-Joffe that he created these images, held by the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and rarely seen until this deluxe publication. The Autobiography of a Snake is a brilliant portrait of Warhol’s obsessions, his talent, and the world he would one day conquer.

Text by Todd Alden.

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Published to accompany the exhibition held at the KunstHausWien, Austria from 23 February to 31 May 1993, and two other venues in Florida, USA.

This edition traces Warhol's complete graphic oeuvre from his first unique works on paper in 1962 through his final published portfolio in 1987.