Name: Sex Parts (F. & S. II.172)
Brand: Andy Warhol
Rating: 5 (236 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Andy Warhol's Sex Parts (F. & S. II.172) is estimated to be worth between £3,700 and £5,500. This signed screenprint, created in 1978, has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 4%. Over the past 12 months, the average selling price was £4,964, across one total sale. This work has a steady auction history, having been sold 4 times since its initial sale on 10th December 2013. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 30.

Meaning & Analysis

Sex Parts (F. & S. II.172) is a signed screen print by the critically acclaimed 20th century artist, Andy Warhol. The black and white print on HMP paper was created in 1978 and comes in an edition size of 30. In this print, Warhol shows a graphic image of male genitalia engaged in sexual activity. The image is rendered in a sketch-like style which contrasts with Warhol’s other artworks which are characterised by his use of bright and bold block colours, layering and thick gestural lines.

Sex Parts (F. & S. II.172) is one of six screen prints in Warhol’s Sex Parts collection. Each print in the collection depicts an explicit close-up of male genitalia, as indicated by the collection’s title. Warhol describes these images as ‘landscapes’ preferring this term to nudes.

Warhol's earlier explorations of the nude male form date back to the 1950s. The artist’s long-time collaborator, Vincent Fremont, said that Warhol’s earliest nudes predate his career as a fine artist and that Warhol “always got people to take their clothes off”. Warhol’s early nude artworks were never shown during the artist’s lifetime, mainly due to the fact that homosexuality was illegal at the time in the USA.