Keith Haring

Keith Haring Cover Art SFMMA 1984

1984

Keith Haring Tony Shafrazi Gallery 1984: A RARE signed Keith Haring letter produced in 1984 by Haring's long-time gallerist, Tony Shafrazi in reference to Keith Haring's wood panel s...

Andy Warhol Studies for a Boy Book 1956: A rare sought-after, 1950s Andy Warhol designed poster invitation published on the occasion of: Warhol's 'Studies for a Boy Book', held at the Bodley Gallery and Bookshop Feb. 14 - March 3, 1956. A rare early Warhol collectible that seldom comes to market. Not to be passed upon. Medium: Offset lithograph on wove paper. Framed in glass. Dimensions: 15.75 x 13.5 inches (40 x 34.3 cm). Framed dimensions: 24h x 26w inches. Good overall vintage condition; fold-lines as originally issued; Unsigned from an edition of unknown. Rare. With the Estate of Andy Warhol and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Authorization ink-stamps on the reverse; initialed 'T.J.H.' by Timothy J. Hunt of the Andy Warhol Foundation and annotated 'XX-07.16' and 'PM19.0242' in pencil on the reverse. Provenance: The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, New York Susan Sheehan Gallery, New York Private Collection, New York Further Background: "In the 1950's Warhol self-published a large series of artist’s books & hold parties at Serendipity 3, a restaurant and ice cream parlor on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where his friends would help him hand color his books. In 1956, he presented a solo exhibition at the Bodley Gallery called Studies for a Boy Book. These sketchbook drawings of portraits of young men and erotic portrayals of male nudes contrasted with the work of other contemporary gay artists, such as Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, who considered Warhol 'too swish.' (source: The Andy Warhol Museum) Collections: The Art Institute of Chicago Further background: Warhol’s career began as a commercial illustrator on New York’s Madison Avenue in 1949, during the massive post-war economic boom. His arrival additionally coincided with an extensive change in the motivations and strategies behind advertising, utilizing applied psychology to influence American consumers to purchase products. This stint as an ad man would further his Pop interest in cultural commercialization and start his artistic career; thus began the first chapter of Warhol’s oeuvre, dominated by charming and light-handed ink drawings. As a master of line and contour, Warhol’s consistent and unique drawings and designs piqued the interest of his clients, earning him commissions and collaborations with some of the biggest brands of the day: Tiffany & Co., Columbia Records, and Vogue, to name a few. Though stylistically different from the Pop, these early drawings offer a glimpse at an artist well on his way to establishing an art movement that would change the way the world conceived of contemporary art and its connection to pop culture, morphing from his early successes in the commercial art scene. The simple yet sophisticated line drawings contain... his favorite things: cherubs, shoes, cats, and often young men. Across these drawings and hand-colored prints, we see Warhol as a compulsive creator, documenting life and fantasy with the stark clarity of ink on paper." (source: Phillips) _ Obsessed with celebrity, consumer culture, and mechanical reproduction, Pop Art king, Andy Warhol created some of the 20th century’s most iconic images. Warhol was widely influenced by popular & consumer culture, with this being evident in some of his most famous works: 32 Campbell's soup cans, Brillo pad box sculptures, and portraits of Marilyn Monroe & Mick Jagger, for example. Rejecting the standard painting and sculpting modes of his era, Warhol embraced silk-screen printmaking to achieve his characteristic hard edges and flat areas of color. The artist mentored Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat and continues to influence contemporary art around the world: His most bold successors include Richard Prince, Takashi Murakami, and Jeff Koons. Warhol has been the subject of exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, and Centre Pompidou, among other institutions. Related Categories 1950s Andy Warhol. Vintage Andy Warhol. Mid century modern. Pop Art. Andy Warhol advertising...

Jeff Koons Lavishly illustrated 592 page monograph (hand signed by Jeff Koons), 2009 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (hand signed by Jeff Koons) Boldly signed and dated 12/1/14 o...

Mitch McGee, Don't Try So Hard, Limited Edition Pop Art Print, Silkscreen, Edition of 40. Image is 20" round, paper size 24x24. Each signed and numbered. It is unframed. The influences for McGee's own artwork came from the style of Pop Art legend, Roy Lichtenstein. According to McGee, "Lichtenstein with a Red Bow was the first piece that started me down this rabbit hole. Roy Lichtenstein took comic strips and repositioned them as lithography. In an almost tongue-in-cheek fashion I wondered how I could take one of his pieces and recreate it in another medium. The easy answer for me was wood. I grew up working with it and, combined with my graphic design background, it left me with a new medium and expression that I think really works." From that start, Houston artist, McGee began to create his own style and establish his unique voice. Today, his creativity exists in that space between painting and sculpture. In his Birch series, McGee uses pieces of wood, each illustrated, hand cut and stained or painted to create dimensional pieces. Each painting is filled with thick layers and subtle shadows. There is a warmth created by the imperfection of the birch and its grain that creates an emotional connection. Each painting is a labor of love, taking 40 to 50 hours or more to complete. McGee has created original works inspired by Superhero comics, Sports icons, as well as romantic moments using thick lines and bold colors to bring these scenes to life in his own way. Each artwork is filled with humor, irony, compassion or seduction. His artwork has been exhibited throughout Texas since 2001 and in New York with Elisa Contemporary Art...