Andy Warhol

Galerie Bruno Bischofberger, Zurich

Robert Miller Gallery, New York

Sale: Christie's, New York, Twentieth Century Art, 20 November 1998, Lot 914

Caratsch De Pury & Luxembourg, Zurich

Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Close inspection reveals some very minor wear to the extreme edges and corners and two specks of media accretion: one towards the centre of the bottom edge and another towards the centre of the figure's neck. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Utilising as a source one of Edvard Munch’s most iconic prints, The Brooch (Eva Mudocci), Andy Warhol imbues the original image with his trademark Pop sensibility. Mainting the monochromatic palette of Munch's famous print, Warhol re-animates the original image. Forming part of a series of paintings inspired by four of Munch’s most well-known works, Warhol’s Eva Mudocci retains the enigmatic facial expression, wildly liberated cascades of hair and distinctive brooch that characterises Munch’s original. In Warhol’s contemporary re-imagining however, Mudocci takes her place amongst the pantheon of the artist’s iconic female portraits: an early twentieth-century pinup is here elevated to the status of Warhol’s celebrated images of Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy or Elizabeth Taylor.

The genesis of the After Munch series came about when Warhol visited an exhibition of Munch prints organised by a new gallery in New York in 1982, Galleri Bellman. Vincent Fremont recalled that the exhibition made a particular impression on Warhol: “Andy visited the Munch exhibit at the gallery multiple times. In 1983 a partner in the gallery began discussions with Andy Warhol… regarding the terms of a commission, to not only paint The Scream, but three other images, Eva Mudocci (The Brooch), Self-Portrait with Skeleton Arm, and Madonna (with Sperm)…” (Vincent Fremont quoted in: Exhibition Catalogue, New York, Scandinavia House: The Nordic Centre in America, Munch/Warhol and the Multiple Image, 2013, p. 22). Warhol’s choice of prints to use as a basis for his own paintings was carefully considered and highly deliberate, with the final four selected as much for their celebrity status as iconic works of art as for their creative potential. Roland Augustine discussed Warhol’s decision process, making particular reference to Eva Mudocci: “Andy considered the choice of images very carefully. It wasn’t an arbitrary decision about which images would simply look great together… He loved the image of Eva Mudocci and I remember him remarking on her beautiful hair. That was very much about the idea of idealised feminine beauty…” (Roland Augustine quoted in: ibid., p. 22).

Eva Mudocci was a celebrated musician of her age: a renowned violinist who toured Europe and specialised primarily in performances of music by Scandinavian composers. Born Evangeline Muddock in the UK, Mudocci first encountered Munch in Paris in 1903, and the artist appears to have been quickly captivated by her, in particular by her “two thousand years old” eyes (Edvard Munch quoted in: ibid., p. 34). Munch experimented extensively with Mudocci’s image, and Mudocci recalls that the process was a laborious one: “It was [Munch’s] ambition to make the most perfect portrait of me, but whenever he began a canvas for oils, he destroyed it because he was dissatisfied with it. The lithographs were better…” (Eva Mudocci quoted in: ibid.). As a recognised and sought after figure of her own, pre-paparazzi age, Mudocci connects powerfully to Warhol’s career-long obsession with fame and celebrity: Warhol captured the essence of the international ‘jet-set’ crowd of the 1960s and 1970s within his portraits, providing a record of the most photographed and famous figures of the day. Through Warhol’s re-creation of her image, Mudocci becomes transfused with this sensation of glamour and notoriety, transformed into a modern-day celebrity or a contemporary idol of Pop culture.

Where Warhol’s After Munch series can arguably be seen as a homage from the late Twentieth Century’s master of the serial image to the leading print maker of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries, Warhol’s own iteration of Eva Mudocci emphasises and downplays certain elements of Munch’s original. The effect is almost ethereal: Mudocci appears to float within the confines of the image border, seeming to lack any definitive anchor to her surroundings. Siegfried Gohr reinforces this idea in his analysis of the work: “In Warhol’s paraphrase Eva’s pale face seems even more to belong to a different level of reality than her hair, brooch and triangle of dress. The portrait appears to be spirited into another realm…”(Siegfried Gohr quoted in: Exhibition Catalogue, Louisiana, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Warhol After Munch, 2010, p. 34). Indeed, Mudocci’s historical eminence is transported into the realm of Warholian Pop culture – her whitened face appearing as though bleached by the flash bulb of Warhol’s famous Big Shot Polaroid camera.