Galerie Thomas Modern Masterpieces Modern

MASTERPIECES MODERN GALERIE THOMAS MODERN MASTERPIECES MODERN GALERIE THOMAS MODERN CONTENTS ANDY WARHOL PETER HALLEY FLOWERS 1964 6 WHITE CELL WITH CONDUIT 1986 66 JIM DINE GÜNTHER UECKER TOTAL MODNESS 1965 16 SONNENÜBERFLUTUNG (TRANSGRESSION) 1963 76 SAM FRANCIS GOTTHARD GRAUBNER WHEN WHITE 196 3-1964 26 KAURI IV 1968 86 ROBERT MOTHERWELL IMI KNOEBEL ORANGE PERSONAGE C. 1947 36 FIGUR 15 1985 96 LUCIO FONTANA SIGMAR POLKE CONCETTO SPAZIALE, ATTESA 1964 46 UNTITLED 1990 106 IMI KNOEBEL JIM DINE WEISSE KONSTELLATION G 1975/87 56 BLOOD’S ON THE RIVER NOW 2005 11 6 4 5 FLOWERS 1964 ANDY WARHOL synthetic polymer and Provenance silkscreen inks on canvas Estate of the Artist 1964 Paul Warhola Family Collection, Pittsburgh 61 x 61 cm Private collection, Europe 24 x 24 in. Private collection, Paris signed twice and dated Private collection (acquired from the above) on the canvas overlap Private collection, USA Literature Frei Georg; Printz, Neil (Eds.). Warhol, Paintings and Sculptures 1964 - 1969, The Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonné. Vol. 02A, New York 2004, p. 302, text on the 24-inch Flowers. 8 FLOWERS 1964 ANDY WARHOL From a dark green-black grass background, four may be, the flower is never merely a flower, but gaudily-coloured orange-yellow, red and pink flower always points beyond itself and generates a wealth blossoms seem to jump from the canvas and of meanings, which inseparably accompany genuine confront the viewer with a subject that, superficially artistic innovation and revolution – often more, and regarded, is simple to understand – a classic flower more clearly, than in other thematic areas. Since still life – which, however, on closer inspection turns Warhol initiated a comeback of the subject with his out to be far more complex than it may seem at first. Flower paintings, the flower has become an indispensable motif in the work of many great artists Representations of flowers run like a common theme of the 20 th and 21 st centuries and has conquered through the centuries of art history: until the Renais - the spatial dimension in the form of sculptures, sance, flowers mainly had the right to exist in art as installations and videos, as in the work of Pipilotti carriers of religious symbols or allegories, but Rist, Jeff Koons and Marc Quinn. 2 beginning with the 15 th century, this changed slowly, and the flower was acknowledged as an Warhol began the Flowers series in 1964 on the independent pictorial subject, as the embodiment of occasion of his first exhibition with Leo Castelli. the life cycle. The Dutch flower still lifes of Baroque art undoubtedly represent a pinnacle in the treatment The basis for this series was an amateur photograph of the theme, in which the lavishly arranged of hibiscus blossoms, which appeared in the June bouquets of flowers only at first glance pay homage issue of the magazine Modern Photography. It was to the beauty of creation. Rather, they point to Henry Geldzahler, then the curator for modern art at transitoriness, to death and to the finiteness of being: the New York Metropolitan Museum, who more or vanitas. The Romantic period gave the flower a new less arbitrarily selected the original flower painting 3 1 Cf.: Kopp, Robert. presence in painting and poetry, culminating in the for Warhol. Warhol trimmed the photograph and Blumensehnsucht. In: Blumenmythos – representation of the ‘Blue Flower’: as a symbol of the original six blossoms became the famous group Von Vincent van Gogh bis Jeff Koons. Exhibition Catalogue of the the desire for love, the metaphysical striving for of four, which fit perfectly into a square, and which Fondation Beyeler 2005, infinity and pilgrimage. For the Impressionists from the artist continued to develop in a major series Wolfratshausen 2005, pp. 23. Manet and Monet to van Gogh, the flower became lasting into the 1980s. 2 Cf.: Büttner, Philippe. Obsession Blume. In: Blumenmythos – Von the ideal projection surface for expressing the artist’s Vincent van Gogh bis Jeff Koons. immediate perception. 1 This line can be continued In the course of Warhol’s structuring and manipulation Exhibition Catalogue of the Fondation Beyeler 2005, without interruption: Lovis Corinth, Emil Nolde, of the theme, he introduced the screen printing Wolfratshausen 2005, p. 33. Chaim Soutine and Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Max technique in order to produce varied images of the 3 The Staff of the Andy Warhol Museum. Andy Warhol 365 Takes. Ernst, Henri Matisse and Fernand Léger. As different same flower in different sizes, colours and combi - New York 2004, p. 11. as the artistic approaches of the artists mentioned nations. The emphasis on process and repetition are 10 typical features of Warhol’s artistic strategy. The no longer subject to the will of the artist, but to the background … We all knew the dark side of those Photography from Modern Prhotography Magazine, idea of completely separating artistic design from laws of applied technology itself. Flowers. Don’t forget, at that time, there was with notes and a design the necessity of the gestural or manual process, and flower power and flower children. We were the by Warhol, 1964 replacing craftsmanship with technical means chal - On closer inspection, the colourful and beautiful roots, the dark roots of that whole movement. None lenged the conventional notions of the authenticity of appearance of the flowers disintegrates against of us were hippies or flower children. … So when a work of art and the role of its author. the dark background, which seems to open up like Warhol and that whole scene made Flowers, it a sinister dark tunnel – a portal to the underworld. reflected the urban, dark, death side of that whole The romantic idea of the artist as a genius is Warhol took up the Baroque theme of floral movement.” 4 completely negated by Warhol through the process depictions and linked beauty and decay, life and of de-individualization. For the production of these death – opposites that are inseparably linked to With his Flowers series, Warhol created one of his panel paintings, he used only those elements which each other. The Flower paintings had been most iconic works and with these important works, are absolutely necessary to justify the use of the term preceded by the Death and Disaster works, and heralded a renaissance of the depiction of flowers panel painting: the image, the colour and the Warhol had already begun work of the first Electric in 20 th -century art by developing an essential carrier. The original photograph loses its detail and Chair paintings, which were followed later by the concept of modernism based on the flower motif: sharpness through the reproduction by means of Skulls. Death, horror and tragedy were always pre - using screen printing, he transferred one of nature’s screen printing; its shapes are simplified and the sent in Warhol’s work, alongside the (apparently) most serial motifs to his art. With this technique he contrasts intensified. These effects, together with cheerful, glamorous and banal – the oscillation bet - takes up the seriality of the image in the age of Warhol’s choice of colours – often striking – create ween the worlds, between the high and low is television, and at this early point critically interprets the effect of alienation that gives Warhol’s art distinctive of Warhol’s work. the repetitive mechanisms and strategies of the meaning. Chance, which is also a result of the growing mass media. silk-screen printing technique, which ultimately “A lot of Andy’s work revolves around that 4 O’Connor, John and Liu, Benjamin. remains a craft, in the end leads to a particular subject. The Marilyn paintings are about life and Unseen Warhol. kind of individuality. This individuality is, however, death, the Flowers are with their black, menacing New York 1966, p. 61. 12 13 ANDY WARHOL PITTSBURGH 1928 –1987 NEW YORK THE YEAR 1964 Warhol had already purchased a 16 mm camera Warhol made numerous other films. The Vietnam War Andy Warhol 1976 in New York in 1963 and had started shooting his first films with began in August 1964. it, creating works such as Sleep and Kiss . A new studio at 2 31 East 47 Street became a ‘factory’, a Warhol moved to Castelli Gallery – his inaugural place of work and encounter. Warhol’s close circle show there consisted of the first series of the silk screen included the poet Gerard Malanga and actors prints Flowers . The template that Warhol used for the such as Jane Holzer, Brigid Polk, Taylor Mead and images was a photograph by the amateur photogra - Robert Olivio. pher Patricia Caulfield, taken from the June issue of Modern Photography magazine. Caulfield sued After the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Warhol Warhol the same year. She rejected the compen - began his series of Jackie portraits. For the first time he sation in the form of two Flowers portfolios, and also used photos from photo booths and a Polaroid an out-of-court agreement for a sum of money was camera. reached. The exhibition at Castelli ran from Novem - ber 21 to December 17 and all the works in the On January 13, 1964, the Galerie Ileana Sonnabend exhibition were sold. in Paris opened an exhibition of Disaster Paintings, and on April 21 an exhibition was opened at The Factory was increasingly becoming a meeting the New York Stable Gallery, in which exclusively place for young artists, dancers, dropouts and models of product packaging – screen-printed Warhol admirers. Warhol intensified his activity as a wooden crates – from Brillo, Campbell’s and Heinz filmmaker and met Paul Morissey, who shot all films were shown. The exhibition and the opening party in with Warhol in the following years.

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