Shadow; 1977; Synthetic polymer and silkscreen ink on canvas; Signed and inscribed 'Merry Christmas Halston' verso and signed and dated 'Andy Warhol /77' on the overlap; Stamped with the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board, Inc., stamp and numbered 'A101.004' on the overlap; Authentication letter from the Warhol Foundation is included; Will be included in the next published volume (Vol. 05) of the Catalogue Raisonne for Paintings and Sculpture; Framed using a wood canvas insert frame and an exterior black and gold wood frame.
Andy Warhol never created a purely abstract painting, his work was always figurative. The closest Warhol got to the abstract expressionist group, that he so much admired, were his Rorschach and Shadow Painting series. The source for the Shadow Paintings is not exactly known, as there are conflicting stories about their origin. The most prominent hypothesis is from warholstars.org:
Ronnie Cutrone, Andy Warhol's art assistant at the time, claimed that he originally suggested the idea of the Shadow paintings to Warhol:
"Andy had a burning desire to do abstract art. Although he abandoned different experiments with it, he still wanted to do abstract art. So I said, 'Look, if you're really serious about this, when I was in art school I had all these ideas that I'll never do. You know, I don't worship abstract art because I grew up in a different generation.'
Andy said, 'Well, what are they?'
And I said, 'You're Andy Warhol; you should paint something that is something, but it's not.'
He said, 'Oh, come on Ronnie. What do you mean? Come on.'
And I said, 'Well, you should paint shadows. You love shadows anyway. They're all in your work. I've got this notebook. I've got drawings of nothing in it, drawings of shadows that things cast.'
Andy asked, 'You mean like real objects casting shadows?'
And I said, 'No, that's too figurative. I'll show you. I'll cut up different things, pieces of cardboard, I'll throw shadows on white seamless and treat them for you.'
He said, 'Oh, good, start today.'
I had 150 shadow photographs on contact sheets twelve days later. We picked some of them out and then he asked me to mix the colors for them. So I mixed aubergine and chartreuse and carmine red and yellow and midnight blue, like Yves Klein blue, and white (you don't mix white but we did white paintings). Andy and I always shared the same color sensibility so that part was never difficult for me...I would go to work for eight hours a day and think, 'What color would I mix if I was Andy Warhol?' It was a game to me."
Back of the canvas showing the Andy Warhol signature, date, Halston dedication, and Warhol Foundation stamp.
Warhol created various sizes of the Shadow Paintings with the bulk being a massive collection of 102 six-foot paintings that went on display at the Friedrich Gallery from January 27 - March 10, 1979. They were installed by Ronnie Cutrone with the assistance of abstract painter Steven Mueller; and were hung according to Cutrone, "butted up against each other, one after the other all around the space... according to space and color." In 1974, eighty of the paintings were purchased by the Dia Art Foundation by Heiner Freidrich and Philippa de Menil. At that time, the price of the paintings was $20,000 each, for a total of $1.6 million. As of 2003, the Shadow Paintings owned by the DIA are housed in a new museum located on the Hundson River in Beacon, Duchess County, New York.
Close up of the Andy Warhol signature, date, and Halston dedication.
This painting is a wonderful example of "the peak," a Shadow Painting with a vertical form on the left of the composition; as if the object being shadowed would be located on the right and the shadow is cast on the floor and then up onto a wall. The majority of "the peak" shadows are black peaks on a colored ground, however this is a reverse example a gold shadow on a black ground. Most of the Shadow Paintings were created in 1978-79; however this particular painting was created late in 1977 and was a Christmas gift to the fashion designer Halston (the painting is dedicated, "Merry Christmas Halston" verso).
Photograph of the framed Shadow Painting
Andy Warhol became close friends with the famed fashion designer Halston and they shared many mutual friends including Liza Minnelli, Victor Hugo, and Bianca Jagger. Halston had gained international fame when Jacqueline Kennedy wore his pillbox hat to her husband's inauguration in 1961. He soon moved to designing women's wear and in 1969 launched his ready-to-wear line that focused on clothing that was not only comfortable but was also flattering to a woman's body. He became most known for his use of cashmere and most notably ultrasuede, that allowed for both form and function in his designs.
Warhol and Halston began frequenting the same clubs and venues, notably Studio 54 and they gained a reputation for having a very busy social life. Halston said of Warhol, "Andy would go the opening of a drawer." Warhol painted Halston's portrait as well as worked on some his fashion advertising campaigns; and Halston collected Warhol’s artwork which he displayed in his 63rd Street Manhattan townhouse. When Andy purchased his Montauk retreat, Halston stayed there and even rented it for long periods of time from Warhol. In 1979, Warhol dedicated a chapter of his book, Andy Warhol’s Exposures, to Halston, describing him as the "first All-American fashion designer."
Scan of the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board letter verified the originality of the Shadow Painting.
This painting was a Christmas gift to Halston in 1977 from Andy Warhol and is one of the early Shadow Paintings created. It represents a piece of POP Art history and serves as a visual link between the world's of art and fashion. The work has been authenticated by the Warhol Foundation and will be included in the next volume of the Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonne for Paintings and Sculpture.
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