ANDY WARHOL, MARILYN (CASTELLI GALLERY INVITATION), SIGNED LITHOGRAPH PRINT, EDITION OF 250, 1981
An unparalleled graphic exploration in repetition and colour, Marilyn (Castelli Gallery Invitation) is a print from Andy Warhol’s world-renowned Marilyn series from 1981. It shows a portrait of the starred celebrity actress Marilyn Monroe, shown with her iconic bright yellow hair, pops of bright pink on her eyelids and lips, set against a pink backdrop.
Shortly after her tragic death in 1962, Warhol had depicted Marilyn Monroe in 23 paintings based on a publicity photograph from the film Niagara (1953), cropped to bring greater attention to her features. This lithograph print on wove paper, which was published as the invitation to Warhol’s exhibition at Castelli Gallery, shows an iteration of the same photograph that shows her face turned to her right and lips sensually parted with a smile. Marilyn (Castelli Gallery Invitation) is particularly striking in its bold use of colour oppositions and high contrasts that are created with black ink layered on the top surface of the image, as well as Warhol’s visible ink signature across the right side.
Warhol was obsessed with reproducing Monroe’s image through the medium of screen printing and this body of work exemplifies the artist’s idea that ‘repetition adds up to reputation’. Significantly contributing to the ‘print boom’ of the 1960s, this series points to the way in which Warhol changed the course of art history through the screen printing method and obsessive repletion of his subject matter
Find out more about Marilyn Monroe 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.
