ANDY WARHOL | Flowers

Galerie Ileana Sonnabend, Paris
Galerie Il Centro, Naples
Collection of Achille Lauro, Naples
Private Collection, Lugano (gift of the above circa 1978)
Thence by descent to the present owner

This work is in good condition overall. There is evidence of wear and handling along the edges including hairline craquelure at the pull margins with some associated spots of loss at the extreme corners and one associated vertical crack. The surface is slightly soiled. Under raking light, there are small areas of hairline craquelure visible in the two upper flowers. Under Ultraviolet light inspection there is no evidence of restoration. Framed within Plexiglas.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"What is incredible about the best of the flower paintings...is that they present a distillation of much of the strength of Warhol's art–the flash of beauty that suddenly becomes tragic under the viewer's gaze. The garish and brilliantly colored flowers always gravitate toward the surrounding blackness and finally end in a sea of morbidity. No matter how much one wishes these flowers to remain beautiful they perish under one's gaze, as if haunted by death.''
John Coplans, Andy Warhol, New York 1978, p. 52