Andy Warhol: Theme and Variation — Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol: Theme and Variation brings together, for the first time, unique, editioned trial proof prints from Andy Warhol's Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century, Myths, Ads, Moonwalk, and selections from the ‘80s, providing a window into the artist’s mastery of printmaking and its permutations.

In 1979, Ronald Feldman and Andy Warhol began developing a print portfolio devoted to Jewish figures whose achievements had shaped twentieth century culture. Feldman initiated the project with Warhol and led the selection process, consulting widely before the final group was decided. A preliminary roster of candidates considered for the project, written by Ronald Feldman, is on view.

The ten subjects were notable figures from science, politics, literature, music, philosophy, theater, and the arts: Sarah Bernhardt, Louis Brandeis, Martin Buber, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, George Gershwin, Franz Kafka, the Marx Brothers, Golda Meir, and Gertrude Stein. Warhol initially referred to the project as “Jewish Geniuses.” Ronald Feldman Gallery developed the more formal title: Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century. Although the portfolio comprises ten portraits, the number of individuals represented is twelve when the three Marx Brothers are counted separately. Published in 1980, Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century established a model Feldman and Warhol would return to: ten distinct images joined by a common idea.

For the Myths portfolio, the subject became the popular culture of the postwar American generation. Published by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts in 1981, the portfolio brings together figures drawn from movies, television, radio, comic books, advertising, and folklore, including Mickey Mouse, Superman, Santa Claus, Uncle Sam, Dracula, the Wicked Witch, Howdy Doody, Greta Garbo as Mata Hari, Mammy, and Warhol himself as The Shadow.

Some images came from existing sources, while others were photographed by Warhol specifically for the project. Margaret Hamilton reprised her role of the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz. Uncle Sam was portrayed by a model who had previously appeared in an IBM television commercial. Warhol also inserted himself into the series as The Shadow.

In 1985, Ronald Feldman proposed that Andy Warhol create a portfolio based on American advertising. The subject connected directly to Warhol’s successful early career as a commercial artist while continuing his longstanding engagement with images made familiar through magazines, movies, packaging, and popular culture.

Warhol and Feldman selected ten images spanning fashion, automobiles, technology, entertainment, consumer products, and corporate identity. Chanel, Volkswagen, Apple, Life Savers, and Mobil appear alongside James Dean, Donald Duck, Judy Garland in Richard Avedon’s Blackglama campaign, and a young Ronald Reagan in a 1953 Van Heusen shirt advertisement.

Because the portfolio drew upon existing commercial imagery, Ronald Feldman Fine Arts worked to secure permissions from the corporations, photographers, estates, and other copyright holders.

Moonwalk was the first and only print realized in a larger project, tentatively titled “TV Sets,” conceived by Ronald Feldman and Andy Warhol before the artist’s unexpected death. The proposed portfolio would have drawn from news, entertainment, sports, and early broadcast history, bringing together moments that had entered public memory through television.

Subjects under consideration included Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his “I Have a Dream” speech, the Beatles appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, Babe Ruth at Yankee Stadium, I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, and Felix the Cat, whose image was used in early experimental television transmissions.

For Moonwalk, Warhol combined two images from the 1969 Apollo 11 mission: Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface and the American flag planted on the Moon.

Warhol completed Moonwalk in 1987. His death that year left the larger television portfolio unfinished. The two unique trial proofs on view document Warhol’s variations on the composite image created for Moonwalk.

The trial proof prints from these portfolios, assembled together for the first time, reveal Warhol’s strong work ethic and artistic strategy. The model conceived and pioneered by Ronald Feldman required the artist to work ten times harder. The prints reveal his creative process of utilizing printmaking to explore a wide gamut of color and composition