NEW YORK – On Tuesday, December 28, starting at 3 pm Eastern time, Jasper52 will present a sale of Original Modern Art Lithographs and Etchings. The tightly curated lineup, featuring just 66 lots, is entirely devoted to the works of the late Pop Art legend Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987). Many of his most celebrated and coveted motifs are on offer, including images of Marilyn Monroe; Chairman Mao Tse Tung, the late president of the People’s Republic of China; Campbell’s Soup cans; the dollar sign; Edvard Munch’s The Scream; flowers; Beethoven; and the historic Apollo 11 moonwalk. Some of these prints are individuals, and others are groups or suites that represent a repeated theme. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
Highlights include a Warhol Mao Suite estimated at $1,500-$2,000. It consists of five original edition silkscreens on museum board that depict the controversial Chinese leader in varying colors. The American artist was inspired to turn his gaze to Mao after President Richard Nixon visited China in 1972. Warhol’s preoccupation with celebrity drew him to play with the widely reproduced portrait of Mao that literally became iconic in China in the 20th century.
A second worthy highlight is a Warhol Flowers Suite estimated at $2,500-$3,000. This particular example features 10 original edition silkscreens on museum board, each measuring 36in by 36in. When first shown at the Leo Castelli Gallery in 1964, Warhol’s Flowers represented something of a departure for the artist, who was best-known at that point for elevating packaging designs to the level of fine art. Today the brightly-colored images, based on a magazine photograph of hibiscuses, might possibly be Warhol’s most broadly pleasing works.
Rounding out the top lots is a Warhol Dollar Sign Suite estimated at $1,500-$2,000 and containing four original edition silkscreens on museum board. It seems surprising in retrospect that Warhol didn’t get around to putting his own spin on the symbol of American currency until the early 1980s, but, evidently, the arrival of President Ronald Reagan – the dollar images date to 1981 or 1982 – prompted him to explore the possibilities of the ubiquitous graphic.
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