ANDY WARHOL, GRACE KELLY (F. & S. II.305), SIGNED SCREEN PRINT ON LENOX MUSEUM BOARD, 1984
Andy Warhol provides us with a vision of golden age of Hollywood in his print Grace Kelly (F. & S. II.305) from 1984, that features a portrait based on a still from Kelly’s first film Fourteen Hours (1951). As with his portraits of Marylin Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, Warhol depicts Kelly as the classic American beauty, showing an image of the actress looking up to the viewer, with her beautiful features and golden hair taking up the entire pictorial space.
Completed just two years after her tragic death from a car accident, this portrait sits in within the Warholian tradition of depicting quintessential American celebrity icons posthumously. Kelly is memorialised as an icon of popular culture by Warhol through his renowned screen printing technique. Warhol’s use of vivid colours and simplified form replicates the kitsch aesthetic of mass consumer products and works to emphasise the thin veneer of Kelly’s beauty and fame.
Comparable to his portraits from the 1960s such as Marilyn (1967) and Liz (1964) that exemplify Warhol’s infatuation with the concept of stardom and celebrity culture, this later print makes a departure in graphic style. With his use of luminous colour, the blue backdrop and bright yellow hair, and multicoloured lines that contour Kelly’s portrait, Warhol creates a glossy surface to the print, mimicking the visual language of 1980s magazines.
Find out more about Grace Kelly by Andy Warhol.
ABOUT ANDY WARHOL
Andy Warhol (born Andrew Warhola) is a name synonymous with the celebrity culture and mass consumerism which coloured the boulevards of New York City in the Post World War II era. Born into a working class immigrant family in the urban landscape around the bustling metropolis, Warhol’s early life was characterised by a climb up the capitalist rungs of society.
The artist himself noted, “buying is more American than thinking, and I’m as American as they come”, this quote came to demarcate Warhol’s artistic practice as he embraced the commodification of the American Dream. The Pop artist’s beginnings in the business sector gave him the practical skill set to experiment with a more commercial approach to art throughout his career, particularly with regards to screen printing. Read more about Andy Warhol.
