- 168
Andy Warhol
Description
- Andy Warhol
- Dollar Sign
- signed and dated 82 on the overlap
- acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas
- 25.8 by 20.5cm.; 10 1/8 by 8in.
Provenance
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 1993
Condition
"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."
Catalogue Note
Here, the totemic dollar sign is repeatedly screened onto the canvas using deep forest green, bill-green and ruby-red hues - a brash and unashamed impression of capital. Warhol openly revered money famously remarking: “I like money on the wall. Say you were going to buy a $200,000 painting. I think you should take that money, tie it up, and hang it on the wall. Then when someone visited you, the first thing they would see is the money on the wall” (Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again, New York 1975., p. 133-34). Hidden beneath the bright veneer of animated colours, Dollar Sign also embodies a satirical commentary on the materialism of Warhol’s America, yet also celebrates it at the same time, as the artist outwardly revelled in his fame and fortune and of those around him. Dollar Sign lays testament to Warhol’s mastery of the silkscreen technique, constructing an exuberant painting that epitomizes the power and lure of one of the most iconic and masterful symbols of contemporary culture.