African Elephant

Artist Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987)

Date1983

MediumScreen print on paper

Dimensions38 × 38 in. (96.5 × 96.5 cm)
Framed: 39 1/2 × 39 1/2 × 2 1/4 in.

ClassificationsPrint

Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2015.38.7

Signedl.r., in pencil: Andy Warhol

Accession number 2015.38.7

On View

Not on view

Collections

LGBTQ+ Artists

ProvenanceCommissioned by Ronald Feldman and Frayda Feldman, New York, NY. (Hamilton-Selway Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA). (McClain Gallery, Houston, TX); purchased by Valerie Fuller, Houston, TX; purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2015
Label TextIt may seem surprising that Andy Warhol represented animals in these works, when he is much better known for depicting celebrities. Through his use of large images and bright colors, Warhol turned these endangered animals into icons.

Warhol’s desire to depict endangered species came from conversations he had with art collectors about environmental issues. He made 150 editions of these ten screen prints, 100 of which he donated to wildlife conservation organizations with the intention that they be auctioned off in order to raise money for their causes.

There is an added significance to Warhol making prints of endangered animals. In his screen prints, which were based on photographs of disappearing species, the source photographs themselves disappear, replaced by layers of colorful ink. And yet, because of the ability of these printed images to be reproduced, Warhol’s series also symbolically “created” 1,500 new animals.
Inscribedl.r., in pencil: 98/150