Screenprint, 1980
Signed Print Edition of 200
H 102cm x W 81cm
Sigmund Freud (F. & S. II.235) is a signed screen print in colours produced by Andy Warhol. Warhol was one of the leading figures of the Pop Art movement which emerged in Britain and America in the late 1950s. The print was made in 1980 and comes in an edition size of 200.
In this print, Warhol depicts the famous Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud. Freud is best known for being the founder of psychoanalysis. The sitter of the portrait differs markedly from the usual subjects of Warhol’s work. Warhol was fascinated by celebrities, fame and glamour and in this composition, Freud is rendered in a similarly bold and vibrant style to the way Warhol depicts popular icons like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.
The print encapsulates Warhol’s late graphic style and his interest in exploring the boundaries between realism and abstraction. Warhol uses a variety of bold colours in this print, with cool purple and blue dominating the composition. Freud’s face is sketched using red and grey crayon-like outlines which the artist deliberately misaligns. The print is one of ten prints that belong to the Ten Portraits of Jews collection. In this collection, Warhol produces portraits of ten iconic Jewish figures from the 20th century, all in his signature Pop Art style.