'Moonwalk' by Andy Warhol, 1987
A rare print from the artist's unfinished 'TV' series.
'Moonwalk' was the only composition from the series that was printed.
Pink variant (FS II.405).
38 x 38 Inches
96.5 x 96.5 Centimeters
Silkscreen print on Lenox Museum Board fine art paper (ships flat).
Unsigned/unnumbered edition outside of the original series.
Printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, New York
Printer's embossed blindstamp bottom left.
Unsigned Certificate of Authenticity stamp on verso.
ABOUT THE ART
From Sotheby's, April 2019:
As the world prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first moonwalk on 20 July 1969, that watershed moment has come into focus as one of the defining moments of the modern era, a symbol of progress, ingenuity and human endeavor. It was an image that captured the world’s imagination. Ever adept at reflecting key points in American culture, Andy Warhol (1928-1987) turned his attention to that momentous event almost two decades later. Executed in 1987, Warhol’s Moonwalk prints were among the last works that the artist executed before his untimely death.
The Moonwalk prints were to be part of a portfolio entitled 'TV' that would depict important images from the history of television in America, including I Love Lucy, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the Beatles’ first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Moonwalk was the only composition from the series that was printed.
Despite the portfolio’s focus on the influence of television, the photographic basis of the work is not a still from the live broadcast of the first moments on the moon, but rather an image that never appeared on TV. Warhol combined two separate photographs of Buzz Aldrin and the American flag, both NASA stills taken by Neil Armstrong, to create the screenprint. The resulting composition is an iconic element of Warhol’s printmaking that illustrates not only the lasting impact of the moon landing but also the artist’s own profound effect on American visual culture.
MORE ABOUT THE ART
Andy Warhol endows the photo with fantastically glowing colors, Armstrong's space suit a saturated hot pink, echoed in the electric outline of the flag next to him. The crated surface of the moon is a shimmery doubling blue. The square composition is instantly eye-catching, the arrangement of the graphic figure of the astronaut, the flag, and a sharp horizon line giving way to a deep black all making the work as fun as it is hypnotizing.
Created in 1987, Andy Warhol Moonwalk, 1987 FS 405 is a color screenprint on Lennox Museum Board, printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, New York and published by Robert Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., New York.
The 2-print (FS 404, 405) portfolio was created in response to the historic moment when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin took the first steps on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. This event was a significant cultural and technological milestone, and Warhol, as a leading figure in the Pop Art movement, was interested in capturing and reflecting contemporary culture in his artwork.
Andy Warhol was known for his fascination with celebrity culture and iconic imagery from mass media. The moon landing was an event watched by millions around the world, and it became an enduring symbol of human achievement and exploration. Warhol saw this moment as ripe for artistic interpretation thus creating the Andy Warhol 'Moonwalk' screenprints in 1987.
Andy Warhol 'Moonwalk' screenprints immortalized the event in his unique style, using vibrant colors and repetition, which were hallmarks of his work. He often used mass-produced imagery and celebrity icons to comment on consumer culture and the nature of fame, and the moon landing fit perfectly into his thematic repertoire.