Moonwalk (F. & S. II.404)
Moonwalk (F. & S. II.404)
Signed Print
Andy Warhol
Screenprint, 1987
Signed Print Edition of 160
H 96cm x W 96cm
Critical Review
In his 1987 print Moonwalk (F. & S. II.404), Andy Warhol reproduces an image of Buzz Aldrin in a space suit with the American flag as taken by fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong in 1969. The artist actually produced the image two decades after this first moonwalk, in 1987, highlighting its continued importance in American history and culture. In the signed screen print on Lennox Museum board, Warhol maintained the darkened sky and contours of the Lunar surface from the original photograph but has added a playful touch with his lemon-yellow coloring of the white space suit and white stripes in the American flag.
Moonwalk comes from the larger series, Moonwalk, which Warhol produced in the final years of his life. The prints were intended to be included in a larger series entitled TV, but the artist's untimely death left only the Moonwalk images completed. Moonwalk combines Warhol’s interest in the replicability of images and his passion for colour in this late work, making it particularly important in his oeuvre. This image, and the larger series, demonstrate Warhol’s ability to make history playful.
