Andy Warhol, Sitting Bull, from the Cowboys and Indians Series, 1986 |
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| Artist: | Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Sitting Bull, from the Cowboys and Indians Series, 1986 |
| Reference: | FS IIB.376 |
| Series: | Cowboys and Indians Series, 1986 |
| Medium: | Color Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board |
| Image Size: | 36 in x 36 in (91.4 cm x 91.4 cm) |
| Sheet Size: | 36 in x 36 in (91.4 cm x 91.4 cm) |
| Framed Size: | Approx. 44 13/16 in x 44 13/16 in (113.8 cm x 113.8 cm) |
| Edition: | Numbered from the edition of 36 in pencil in lower right. Each print is unique; published by Gaultney, Klineman Art, Inc., New York; printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, New York. |
| Signature: | This work is hand signed by Andy Warhol (Pennsylvania, 1928 – New York, 1987) in pencil in the lower right. |
| Condition: | This work is in excellent condition. |
| ID # | w-6779 |
Andy Warhol Sitting Bull, 1986 shows the Sioux chief in a frontal facing portrait. His gaze is turned toward the viewer, and the focus on him is made clear as he stands out against a stark, colorless background. The colors in this work, strong yellows and blues, are saturated in Sitting Bull himself, strengthening his presence and asserting his appearance.
Based off an archival photo of the Sioux chief, Andy Warhol’s Sitting Bull does not aim to portray the chief’s true personality or identity. By portraying him in the Pop Art style against a background devoid of contextual clues, Warhol explores the way that his personality and identity has been appropriated in mass media. As part of Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians series, Sitting Bull, a figure known for his involvement in the Battle at Little Bighorn, is set side by side with other historical figures (including General Custer, his major opponent at the Battle of Little Bighorn), as well as entertainers such as John Wayne that made the “Wild West” popular. These comparisons question the integrity of the idealized version of the historic West that was popular.
Created in 1986, Andy Warhol’s Sitting Bull is a color screenprint on Lenox Museum Board and is hand signed in the lower right corner in pencil. It is a unique work of an edition of 36, published by Gaultney, Klineman Art Inc., New York and printed by Rupert Jason Smith, New York.
This screenprint is part of a portfolio of works Warhol created in 1986 titled Cowboys and Indians. Other works in the Cowboys and Indians Series include General Custer, Kachina Dolls, Geronimo, Annie Oakley, War Bonnet Indian, Buffalo Nickel, Action Picture, Northwest Coast Mask, Plains Indians Shield, Mother and Child, Indian Head Nickel, Teddy Roosevelt, and John Wayne.
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Andy Warhol Sitting Bull, from the Cowboys and Indians Series, 1986 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work).
1. Feldman, Frayda and Jörg Schellmann. Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné 1962 – 1987, 4th Ed. New York: Distributed Art Publishers, Inc., 2003.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.
About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Andy Warhol Sitting Bull, from the Cowboys and Indians Series, 1986 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.
Subject Matter: Portrait
