Andy Warhol, Endangered Species

Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Elizabeth Taylor weren’t the only subjects Andy Warhol elevated to superstar status. In 1983, he applied the same visual treatment to ten animals facing extinction.

Commissioned by New York gallerists and environmental activists Ronald and Frayda Feldman, Endangered Species brought together the Bald Eagle, Black Rhinoceros, African Elephant, Orangutan, Grévy’s Zebra, Bighorn Ram, Giant Panda, Pine Barrens Tree Frog, San Francisco Silverspot Butterfly and Siberian Tiger. Warhol transformed each into a vivid screenprint, using intense colour and expressive line to make these threatened species every bit as commanding as his celebrity portraits.

In this video, Louisa Earl looks beyond Warhol’s familiar fascination with fame and consumer culture to explore his longstanding relationship with animals and the natural world. From the cats that populated his early illustrations to his dogs, Flowers, Cow and Fish wallpaper, nature was a recurring presence throughout his career.

We also consider the environmental context behind Endangered Species. Created around the tenth anniversary of the US Endangered Species Act, the portfolio reflected concerns Warhol shared with the Feldmans about conservation and the disappearance of wildlife. Some of the prints were subsequently donated to raise funds for conservation, while Warhol continued exploring the subject through projects including Vanishing Animals with zoologist Kurt Benirschke.

More than four decades after its creation, Endangered Species offers a different perspective on Warhol and his understanding of the power of an image. By presenting threatened animals with the colour, scale and visual impact usually reserved for celebrities, he turned them into icons in their own right, drawing attention to precisely what was at risk of disappearing.