Why is the Cats Named Sam series important?

As well as marking an important turning point in Warhol’s career, the series demonstrates the Pop artist’s excellent draughtsmanship and ingenious use of colour that would distinguish him as one of the true icons of 20th century art. Together with Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring he would revolutionise the art world, putting print over canvas, pop culture over traditional subject matter, bringing his work to a wider audience than just the art and fashion world elite.

Did Andy Warhol have 25 cats named Sam?

In the 1950s Andy Warhol shared an apartment with his mother on East 57th Street in New York with 25 cats that shared the same name - Sam - with one exception. All the cats were Siamese & allegedly the apartment became so overrun with cats that Warhol was forced to give some away.

How do I buy a Cats Named Sam print?

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of buying work by Andy Warhol is by using us to reach a seller. MyArtBroker is a curated site, meaning we feature artists that our collectors say they want. You can find Andy Warhol art for sale here. You’ll need to create a free account to buy or sell with us.

How can I sell my Cats Named Sam print?

If you're looking to sell art by Andy Warhol, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.

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andy warhol

Cats Named Sam

Cats
Named Sam

Created before fame, in 1954, and inspired by his mother’s 25 cats, Andy Warhol created a children’s book containing 16 lithographs, accompanied by his mother’s calligraphy, and hand-coloured. The book itself is extremely rare but the individual print series testifies to Warhol’s early love of bold, block colour.

Andy Warhol Cats Named Sam for sale

Cats Named Sam (complete set)

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£70,000-£110,000

$140,000-$210,000 Value Indicator

$120,000-$190,000 Value Indicator

¥630,000-¥1,000,000 Value Indicator

€80,000-€130,000 Value Indicator

$690,000-$1,080,000 Value Indicator

¥13,320,000-¥20,940,000 Value Indicator

$90,000-$140,000 Value Indicator

4% AAGR (5YR)

TradingFloor

3 in network

Cats Named Sam IV 59

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£6,500-£10,000

$12,500-$19,000 Value Indicator

$11,000-$17,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥90,000 Value Indicator

€7,500-€11,500 Value Indicator

$60,000-$100,000 Value Indicator

¥1,240,000-¥1,900,000 Value Indicator

$8,000-$12,500 Value Indicator

TradingFloor

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,000-£10,500

$13,500-$20,000 Value Indicator

$12,000-$18,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥100,000 Value Indicator

€8,000-€12,500 Value Indicator

$70,000-$100,000 Value Indicator

¥1,340,000-¥2,010,000 Value Indicator

$9,000-$13,000 Value Indicator

TradingFloor

1 in network

3 want this

Cats Named Sam IV 66

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,000-£10,500

$13,500-$20,000 Value Indicator

$12,000-$18,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥100,000 Value Indicator

€8,000-€12,500 Value Indicator

$70,000-$100,000 Value Indicator

¥1,340,000-¥2,010,000 Value Indicator

$9,000-$13,000 Value Indicator

TradingFloor

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£6,000-£9,500

$11,500-$18,000 Value Indicator

$10,000-$16,000 Value Indicator

¥50,000-¥90,000 Value Indicator

€7,000-€11,000 Value Indicator

$60,000-$90,000 Value Indicator

¥1,140,000-¥1,810,000 Value Indicator

$7,500-$12,000 Value Indicator

-2% AAGR (5YR)

TradingFloor

4 want this

Cats Named Sam IV 57

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£3,850-£6,000

$7,500-$11,500 Value Indicator

$6,500-$10,500 Value Indicator

¥35,000-¥50,000 Value Indicator

€4,500-€7,000 Value Indicator

$40,000-$60,000 Value Indicator

¥740,000-¥1,150,000 Value Indicator

$4,850-$7,500 Value Indicator

-10% AAGR (5YR)

TradingFloor

2 want this

Cats Named Sam IV 52

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,000-£10,500

$13,500-$20,000 Value Indicator

$12,000-$18,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥100,000 Value Indicator

€8,000-€12,500 Value Indicator

$70,000-$100,000 Value Indicator

¥1,330,000-¥2,000,000 Value Indicator

$9,000-$13,000 Value Indicator

14% AAGR (5YR)

TradingFloor

2 want this

Cats Named Sam IV 62

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,500-£11,000

$14,500-$21,000 Value Indicator

$13,000-$19,000 Value Indicator

¥70,000-¥100,000 Value Indicator

€9,000-€13,000 Value Indicator

$70,000-$110,000 Value Indicator

¥1,430,000-¥2,100,000 Value Indicator

$9,500-$14,000 Value Indicator

-9% AAGR (5YR)

TradingFloor

2 want this

Cats Named Sam IV 53

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,000-£11,000

$13,500-$21,000 Value Indicator

$12,000-$19,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥100,000 Value Indicator

€8,000-€13,000 Value Indicator

$70,000-$110,000 Value Indicator

¥1,340,000-¥2,100,000 Value Indicator

$9,000-$14,000 Value Indicator

-5% AAGR (5YR)

TradingFloor

1 want this

Cats Named Sam IV 67

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£6,500-£9,500

$12,500-$18,000 Value Indicator

$11,000-$16,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥90,000 Value Indicator

€7,500-€11,000 Value Indicator

$60,000-$90,000 Value Indicator

¥1,240,000-¥1,810,000 Value Indicator

$8,000-$12,000 Value Indicator

32% AAGR (5YR)

Cats Named Sam IV 54

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,000-£10,500

$13,500-$20,000 Value Indicator

$12,000-$18,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥100,000 Value Indicator

€8,000-€12,500 Value Indicator

$70,000-$100,000 Value Indicator

¥1,340,000-¥2,010,000 Value Indicator

$9,000-$13,000 Value Indicator

10% AAGR (5YR)

Cats Named Sam IV 60

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£6,500-£10,000

$12,500-$19,000 Value Indicator

$11,000-$17,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥90,000 Value Indicator

€7,500-€11,500 Value Indicator

$60,000-$100,000 Value Indicator

¥1,240,000-¥1,900,000 Value Indicator

$8,000-$12,500 Value Indicator

-10% AAGR (5YR)

Cats Named Sam IV 64

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,000-£10,500

$13,500-$20,000 Value Indicator

$12,000-$18,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥100,000 Value Indicator

€8,000-€12,500 Value Indicator

$70,000-$100,000 Value Indicator

¥1,340,000-¥2,010,000 Value Indicator

$9,000-$13,000 Value Indicator

26% AAGR (5YR)

Cats Named Sam IV 63

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,000-£10,000

$13,500-$19,000 Value Indicator

$12,000-$17,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥90,000 Value Indicator

€8,000-€11,500 Value Indicator

$70,000-$100,000 Value Indicator

¥1,340,000-¥1,910,000 Value Indicator

$9,000-$12,500 Value Indicator

25% AAGR (5YR)

Cats Named Sam IV 61

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,000-£10,500

$13,500-$20,000 Value Indicator

$12,000-$18,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥100,000 Value Indicator

€8,000-€12,500 Value Indicator

$70,000-$100,000 Value Indicator

¥1,340,000-¥2,010,000 Value Indicator

$9,000-$13,000 Value Indicator

54% AAGR (5YR)

Cats Named Sam IV 65

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,000-£11,000

$13,500-$21,000 Value Indicator

$12,000-$19,000 Value Indicator

¥60,000-¥100,000 Value Indicator

€8,000-€13,000 Value Indicator

$70,000-$110,000 Value Indicator

¥1,340,000-¥2,100,000 Value Indicator

$9,000-$14,000 Value Indicator

4% AAGR (5YR)

Cats Named Sam IV 56

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,500-£11,500

$14,500-$22,000 Value Indicator

$13,000-$20,000 Value Indicator

¥70,000-¥100,000 Value Indicator

€9,000-€13,500 Value Indicator

$70,000-$110,000 Value Indicator

¥1,430,000-¥2,200,000 Value Indicator

$9,500-$14,500 Value Indicator

Cats Named Sam IV 58

Andy Warhol Unsigned Print

£7,500-£11,500

$14,500-$22,000 Value Indicator

$13,000-$20,000 Value Indicator

¥70,000-¥100,000 Value Indicator

€9,000-€13,500 Value Indicator

$70,000-$110,000 Value Indicator

¥1,430,000-¥2,200,000 Value Indicator

$9,500-$14,500 Value Indicator

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Meaning & Analysis

Aside from an obsession with celebrity and consumer culture, Warhol dedicated a large body of work to depicting cats, as seen in this series. Before making it as an artist Warhol worked as a freelance commercial and children’s book illustrator. He lived in an apartment on East 57th Street with his mother Julia Warhola and 25 cats who all shared the same name. In 1954 he published a children's book called 25 Cats Name (sic) Sam and One Blue Pussy for which he produced 16 – not 25 despite what the title suggests – lithographs accompanied by his mother’s exquisite calligraphy. The original book is extremely rare but the prints have survived and are each unique, having been hand coloured by Warhol or his friends. These are some of the earliest works by Warhol on the market today and they offer a rare insight into his playful outlook and talent for colour.

The cats in the series vary from fuchsia pink – Sam 51– to bright yellow – the most famous feline from the series, Sam 58 – to elegant brick red – Sam 65 – to the more traditional tabby of Sam 54, startlingly contrasted by the One Blue Pussy of the title, known here as Sam 68. With this rainbow menagerie Warhol appears to be testing the possibilities of combining the simple and elegant lines of his sketches with the bright blocks of colour that could be added after the process of making the lithograph. With works such as Sam 66 we can see how the colour is often laid over the lines to create an offset effect. Warhol would exploit this technique further when he turned his hand to screen printing.

As well as marking an important turning point in Warhol’s career, the series demonstrates the Pop artist’s excellent draughtsmanship and ingenious use of colour that would distinguish him as one of the true icons of 20th century art. Together with Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring he would revolutionise the art world, putting print over canvas, pop culture over traditional subject matter, bringing his work to a wider audience than just the art and fashion world elite.
For Warhol the multiple was everything; from his early forays into self-publishing to his later experiments with screen printing and filmmaking, he knew that “repetition adds us to reputation”. By producing large numbers of editions Warhol ensured his work was widely shared in a time before hashtags and selfies became the go-to ways of making a work of art into a viral sensation. Producing work from his New York studio – knowingly named the Factory – with the help of assistants Warhol was able to make his work for a range of collectors and today there is a healthy secondary market for these pieces which are still very much in demand. While the original picture book may be extremely hard to find, the prints which were made in editions of 190 – each signed by the artist – appear fairly regularly at auction. And though they encapsulate the beginning of Warhol’s career, these works are timeless classics, beloved by generation after generation of cat lovers and art lovers alike.
If you're looking to sell art by Andy Warhol, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.

10 Facts About Andy Warhol's Cats Named Sam

All Cats Named Sam facts

1. Warhol and his mother owned 25 cats, all named Sam except for one.

Before Warhol had reached superstar status in the art world, he lived with his mother, Julia, in New York throughout the 1950s. In their apartment on East 57th Street in Manhattan, Warhol and his mother owned a lonely cat named Hester. To combat her loneliness, Warhol began to grow his cat colony, eventually owning 25 cats all named 'Sam'.

2. The series was made to accompany a children's book Warhol published.

In 1954, Warhol published these prints in a children's book named 25 Cats Name (sic) Sam and One Blue Pussy. Despite the title of the book, Warhol only actually made 16 lithographs of his cats, but clearly studied each of them with an intimate scrutiny.

You Can Lead A Shoe To Water But You Can’t Make It Drink by Andy Warhol

3. The series recalls the commercial prints made in Warhol's early career.

Much like his earlier print series, like La Recherche Du Shoe Perdu, Cats Named Sam reveals Warhol's printing style when he was working as a commercial illustrator. Characterised by graphic lines and bold colours, the prints in this series are an early instance of Warhol's application of a commercial aesthetic on a personalised subject.

4 - 10.

All Cats Named Sam facts

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