Throughout the 1980s, the American Pop artist Andy Warhol gradually turned his attention away from portraying the celebrities of his contemporary society and instead began to focus on iconic historical figures and motifs of the past. Whilst the artist shifted his interest from popular culture to art historical imagery, he nonetheless continued to focus his practice on one central theme: the cult of celebrity. Through his use of graphic outlines and poster-like color fields, Warhol essentially transformed his classical subjects into contemporary icons. Depicting the Macedonian Emperor Alexander the Great in profile, this print was commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, for their 1982 exhibition The Search for Alexander.

Head of Alexander the Great. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Taking inspiration from Italian Renaissance portraits and Nineteenth Century European paintings, the Alexander the Great series is Warhol’s only body of work which utilizes classical sculpture as a central motif. Warhol based his subject, portrayed in profile and gazing into the distance, on a pre-existing photograph of a Hellenistic bronze bust of Alexander the Great held in a private Swiss collection. The Alexander the Great series was published by the Hellenic Heritage Foundation in co-operation with Alexander Iolas – an international art dealer and Andy Warhol’s close friend. Nicknamed Alexander the Great due to his Greek roots and close resemblance to the Macedonian Emperor, Iolas first met Warhol in 1945, when the 17-year-old artist was working as a commercial illustrator in New York. Iolas, then the founder and director of the Hugo Gallery, organized Warhol’s first gallery show entitled Fifteen Drawings based on the writing of Truman Capote. The two soon began to experience recognition and success, establishing themselves as key players in New York’s upcoming art scene. As the American writer Bob Colacello explained: “In many ways Iolas and Andy were two of a kind, they shared the same high camp sensibility, an awareness and delight of the absurdity of existence.” In the following years, Warhol became a celebrated name at Iolas’ gallery – the dealer continued to support the artist’s exhibitions and patronized limited editions until each of their deaths, only months apart in 1987.

Alexander the Great, here portrayed with his strong features and flowing locks, could thus be regarded as Warhol’s homage to Iolas and the close relationship the two fostered over the years. Moreover, the profile of the Hellenistic Emperor – emphasized by Warhol’s archetypal graphic lines and bold colors – becomes the ultimate symbol of Greek elegance and might, standing as a remarkable testament to Andy Warhol’s continuous explorations into the power of the portrait.

Alexander The Great, 1982

Alexander The Great

The pair of two screenprints in colors
Medium: Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Year: 1982
Sheet: 39 7/8 x 39 7/8 inches (101.3 x 101.3 cm)
Edition: 25
Artist’s Proofs: 5 AP
Trial Proofs: 15 unique color variant trial proofs, there were also 65 in Arabic numerals and 8 in Roman numerals, both on different sized papers
Printer: Rupert Jasen Smith, New-York
Publisher: Alexander lolas, New York (with the artist’s copyright inkstamp on the reverse)
In co-operation with the Hellenic Heritage Foundation to coincide with the Search for Alexander exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 27 October 1982 to 3 January 1983

Each signed and numbered in pencil with the printer’s blindstamp and the artist’s copyright stamp on the reverse

1. Alexander the Great (F&S II.291)

2. Alexander the Great (F&S II.292)

Alexander The Great (F&S II.291)

Bonhams Cornette: 22 November 2023
Estimated: EUR 40,000 – 60,000
EUR 140,100 / USD 152,405

Bonhams Paris: 24 April 2024
Estimated: EUR 60,000 – 80,000
EUR 152,800 / USD 163,496

Heritage Auctions: 24 October 2023
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 125,000

ANDY WARHOL
Alexander the Great, 1982
Screen-print in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and numbered ‘TP 26/65’ in pencil
A Trial Proof aside from an edition of 25

Phillips London: 8 June 2023
Estimated: GBP 70,000 – 90,000
GBP 133,350 / USD 166,002

ANDY WARHOL
Alexander the Great, 1982
Unique screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and numbered ‘TP 13/15’ in pencil
One of 15 unique color variant trial proofs

LA Modern: 17 February 2019
Estimated: USD 50,000 – 70,000
USD 65,000

Bonhams London: 18 December 2017
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 60,000 / USD 80,274

Bonhams London: 17 November 2017
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 52,500 / USD 69,160

Wright Chicago: 22 June 2017
Estimated: USD 50,000 – 70,000
USD 57,500

Christie’s New-York: 20 April 2017
Estimated: USD 50,000 – 70,000
USD 87,500

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Alexander the Great, 1982
Unique screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Sheet: 40×32 inches (101.6 x 81.3 cm)
Signed and numbered ‘TP VII/VIII’ in pencil
One of 93 trial proofs in unique color combinations, the edition was 25

Phillips New-York: 18 April 2017
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 100,000

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Alexander the Great: one plate (see Feldman & Schelmann II. 291-292)
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum board
Signed in pencil, numbered TP 32/65
A unique trial proof aside from the edition of 25

Bonhams London: 22 May 2013
Estimated: GBP 25,000 – 35,000
GBP 34,850 / USD 54,965

3. Complete Sets

Christie’s London: 29 March 2017
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 173,000

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Alexander the Great, 1982
The pair of two screenprints in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Each signed in pencil, numbered A/P 1/5
Artist’s proofs aside from the edition of 25

This pair of screenprints was presented by the artist to the current owner, the legal advisor of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, for his role in the negotiations for the permission to use her image in the Reigning Queens portfolio. This photograph of the owner and artist was taken at their first meeting at the Dutch consulate in New York in 1985 to discuss the project.