Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys, though distinct in their artistic approaches, were united in their status as icons of 20th-century art, both committed to constructing artistic personalities that came to define their work. Beuys, a leading figure in the Fluxus and Conceptual Art movements, explored the realms of social sculpture and shamanistic practices, emphasizing the potency of the idea and the transformative ability of art in society. By contrast, Warhol, the preeminent Pop artist, was known for his fascination with consumerism and celebrity culture. He created vibrant images of highly recognizable people, symbols and commodities, often utilizing the silkscreen technique to echo mass-media.  Despite their differences, both Beuys and Warhol became renowned figures as they subverted the established norms of their time, disregarding artistic convention. For that reason, publishers Jörg Schellmann and Bernd Klüser, together with art dealer Lucio Amelio, suggested that Warhol make portraits of Beuys, a fellow artist with myth-like status to rival his own.

Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys at Warhol’s exhibition “Joseph Beuys, paintings and prints”, Edition Schellmann, Munich, 1980. Image: © Schellmann Art

Warhol met Beuys in 1979 when he visited New York for his Guggenheim retrospective, and a critic wrote that the occasion “had all the ceremonial aura of two rival popes meeting in Avignon.” That same year, the two artists met again at the Hans Mayer Gallery in Dusseldorf. There, Warhol took a polaroid of Beuys which would become the basis for the multiple portraits he made of him. Ranging from colorful repetitions to subtle black-on-black images, to vivid camouflage overlays, Warhol’s portraits of Beuys not only signify the crossover of two icons of contemporary art, but also serve as visual testament to the deep mutual respect shared between these influential figures.

 

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1. Joseph Beuys, 1980/83

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Joseph Beuys

There Are Three States: State II and State III have rayon flock
Medium: Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board
Year: 1980
Sheet: 40×32 inches (101.6 x 81.3 cm)
Edition: 150
Artist’s Proofs: 36 AP
Other: 9 PP (Printer’s Proofs)
Trial Proofs: 45 individual TP not in portfolios
Publisher: Editions Schellmann & Klüser, Munich and New-York
Printer: Rupert Jasen Smith
Literature: Feldman & Schellmann II.242-244

Each signed and numbered in pencil with the blindstamp of the printer

 

1. State I (F&S II.242)

2. State II (F&S II.243)

3. State III (F&S II.244)

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Auction Results

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1. State I

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Sotheby’s New-York: 22 October 2024
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 20,000
USD 19,200

ANDY WARHOL (1928 – 1987)
Joseph Beuys (Feldman & Schellmann II.242), 1980
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Sheet: 40×32 inches (101.5 x 81.2 cm)
Signed in pencil and numbered 116/150

Lempertz: 2 December 2023
Estimated: EUR 14,000 – 18,000
EUR 23,940 / USD 26,077

ANDY WARHOL
Joseph Beuys (F&S II.242), 1980-83
Color screenprint on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and numbered 144/150

Christie’s London: 27 September 2023
Estimated: GBP 12,000 – 18,000
GBP 22,680

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Joseph Beuys, 1980
Screen-print in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered 131/150

2. State II

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Christie’s New-York: 25 October 2024
Estimated: USD 18,000 – 25,000
USD 56,700

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Joseph Beuys (Feldman & Schellmann II.243), 1980-1983
Screenprint in colors with rayon flocking on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered ‘TP 12⁄45’
A unique trial proof, the edition was 150 plus 36 artist’s proofs

Germann Switzerland: 29 November 2023
Estimated: CHF 18,000 – 22,000
CHF 28,000 / USD 31,989 (HAMMER)

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Joseph Beuys (State II), 1980/83
Silkscreen printed in colors with colored velvet covering on Lenox museum board
Edition 57/150. Signed lower right: Andy Warhol

Christie’s London: 28 September 2022
Estimated: GBP 12,000 – 18,000
GBP 25,200

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Joseph Beuys: state II, 1980-83
Screen-print in colors with rayon flock on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered 67/150

3. State III

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Germann Switzerland: 29 November 2023
Estimated: CHF 18,000 – 22,000
CHF 26,000 / USD 29,704 (HAMMER)

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Joseph Beuys (State III), 1980/83
Silkscreen printed in colors with colored velvet covering on Lenox museum board
Edition 14/150. Signed lower right: Andy Warhol

4. Trial Proofs

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Ketterer Kunst: 7 June 2025
Estimated: EUR 18,000
EUR 22,860 / USD 25,830

ANDY WARHOL
Joseph Beuys (Cf. Feldman, Schellmann, Defendi, no. II.243 State II), 1980/1983
Silkscreen in colors with Rayon satin in the color areas on Lenox Museum cardboard
Signed and numbered
One of 36 artist copies outside the edition of 150 copies
With the copyright stamp on the reverse

Phillips London: 17 January 2024
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 22,860 / USD 28,874

ANDY WARHOL (Pittsburgh 1928–1987 New York)
Joseph Beuys, 1980/83
Unique color screenprint, 1st state, on Lenox Museum Board
TP 26/45, trial proof, outside the edition of 150
Signed in pencil lower right: Andy Warhol

 

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2. Joseph Beuys, 1980

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Joseph Beuys

The complete set of three screenprints in colors
Medium: Screenprint in colors, two with diamond dust, on Arches Cover Black paper
Year: 1980
Sheet: 44×30 inches (111.8 x 76.3 cm)
Edition: 90
Artist’s Proofs: 15 AP
Publisher: Editions Schellmann & Klüser, Munich and New-York
Printer: Rupert Jasen Smith
Literature: Feldman & Schellmann II.245-247

Each signed and numbered in pencil with the blindstamp of the printer

1. Joseph Beuys (F&S II.245)

2. Joseph Beuys (F&S II.246)

3. Joseph Beuys (F&S II.247)

 

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Auction Results

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ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Joseph Beuys (Feldman & Schellmann II.246), 1980
Screen-print on Arches Cover Black paper
Signed and numbered 37/90

Sotheby’s Cologne: 10 June 2022
Estimated: EUR 14,000 – 18,000
EUR 21,420

ANDY WARHOL (1928 – 1987)
Joseph Beuys (F. & S. II 245), 1980
Screen-print with diamond dust on Arches Cover Black paper
Signed in pencil, numbered 57/90

2. Trial Proofs

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3. Complete Sets

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Van Ham: 27 November 2024
Estimated: EUR 50,000 – 70,000
EUR 83,120 / USD 87,755

ANDY WARHOL (1928 Pittsburgh, PA/USA – 1987 New York)
Joseph Beuys, 3-part (Feldman/Schellmann 245-247), 1980
Each color silkscreen, two with diamond dust, on black Arches Cover Paper
Signed and numbered AP 13/15

Sotheby’s New-York: 27 October 2022
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
USD 75,600

ANDY WARHOL (1928 – 1987)
Joseph Beuys, 1980
The complete set of three screen-prints in colors, two with diamond dust, on Arches Cover Black paper
Each signed in pencil and inscribed AP 11/15

Koller Zurich: 1 July 2021
Estimated: CHF 55,000 – 75,000
CHF 146,700

ANDY WARHOL (Pittsburgh 1928–1987 New York)
Joseph Beuys (3-parts), 1980
3 color screenprints, two with diamond dust on black Arches Cover wove paper
23/90. Signed in pencil lower right: Andy Warhol