By the end of 1979, Andy Warhol had conquered the art world. After the success of the Skulls series in 1976, which played into Warhol’s ongoing fascination with death as spectacle and signifier, at the end of the 1970s he started to produce a major retrospective series, revisiting some of the most emblematic images of his production.
ANDY WARHOL IN FRONT OF TEN PORTRAITS OF JEWS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY IN MIAMI, AUGUST 1980. 1982. © 2020 THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC. / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK AND DA
Introduction
In 1980, Ronald Feldman suggested that the artist embark on a new project comparable to that of his iconic series of the 1970s, like the Complete Athlete Series and Mao portraits. Feldman came up with the idea to venerate ten intellectuals from the Jewish faith, which he thoughtfully chose after consulting Susan Morgenstein, director of the art gallery of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington. The final selection of subjects included the following ten thinkers, politicians, artists and writers: Sarah Bernhardt, Louis Brandeis, Martin Buber, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, George Gershwin, Franz Kafka, the Marx Brothers, Golda Meir and Gertrude Stein. This concept fascinated Warhol, who was enthralled by religion, as noted by the later works of his career which included paintings of crucifixes and recreations of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Inspired both creatively and spiritually, Warhol embarked on this legendary series of works that ultimately defined a pivotal moment in his career. Following the success of the lithographic portfolio, Warhol decided to render these same subjects and images as paintings. By enlarging the scale and transposing the portraits onto canvas, Warhol enshrined the visibility and fame of these pre-existing images. The decision to produce portraits of famed individuals of Jewish faith is an interesting and relevant decision given Warhol’s own biography and relationship to religion. Growing up as the Catholic son of Slovakian immigrants in Pittsburgh, Warhol’s childhood was marked by both material deprivation and religious influence. After moving to Manhattan in 1949, he soon established himself as a commercially successful illustrator and escaped financial precariousness, but his interest in powerful religious symbols would steer many of his artistic choices, particularly during this late phase of his career; the most prominent example being his famous The Last Supper paintings from 1986. The present work, executed at a mature moment in Warhol’s career, showcases the artist exploring themes and enduring currents of interest in fame and religious identity.
At the time of the first exhibition of the canvases in Miami in August 1980 and at the Jewish Museum of New York one month later, the series sparked controversy. Whilst some showed utmost enthusiasm, others were outraged by what they viewed as the vulgarization of personalities as respectable as these. As a catalyst of the legends and mindsets of his time, “Warhol examined the world from every angle, he multiplied it and he serialized it.” (Jean-Hubert Martin, Andy Warhol, Retrospective, 1989, p. 7) Holding up a mirror to his time, Warhol placed the human face and the genre of the portrait at the center of this gigantic and superb system, to which the Ten Portraits of Jews of the 20th Century pertain in general, and the portrait of Albert Einstein in particular.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein , 1980
Sotheby’s New-York: 28 October 2020
Estimated: USD 700,000 – 1,000,000
USD 2,258,500
ANDY WARHOL
Albert Einstein (From Ten Portraits of Jews of the 20th Century), 1980
Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas
40×40 inches (101.6 x 101.6 cm)
Signed and dated 1980 on the overlap
The present work, a stunning silkscreened rendering of Albert Einstein, simultaneously captures the inquisitive essence of the famed physicist and exemplifies Warhol’s preoccupation with the historicizing of genius, its encapsulation and reproduction. As someone who existed in the nexus of space, time, and fame Albert Einstein was a perfectly fitting subject for Warhol.
This body of work exemplifies the artist’s lifelong project of canonizing illustrious figures in history who have informed culture and impacted public consciousness. His portrait of Einstein is particularly compelling for both its subject and flawless execution.
Sarah Bernhardt
A world-renowned French actress of the late nineteenth century, Bernhardt was one of the first prominent actresses to appear in motion pictures and become a worldwide celebrity. Known for her eccentric way of life and multiple affairs with members of European royal families and French intellectuals, Bernhardt’s is remembered for her incomparable and natural artistry that propelled her to create her own travelling acting company, a novelty at the time. In the present work, Sarah Bernhardt’s face is shown layered over a square divided diagonally into yellow and pink fields, with tilting smaller squares floating across the composition. Her soft stare looks directly at the viewer, captivating her audience, immortalizing her theatrical energy.
“Life engenders life. Energy creates energy.
It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.”
Sarah Bernhardt
At the time of the first exhibition of the ten canvases in Miami in August 1980 and at the Jewish Museum of New York one month later, the series sparked controversy. Whilst some onlookers showed utmost enthusiasm, others were outraged by what they viewed as the vulgarization of personalities as respectable as these. Art critic Jean-Hubert Martin pronounced, “Warhol examined the world from every angle, he multiplied it and he serialized it.” (Jean-Hubert Martin, Andy Warhol, Retrospective, 1989, p. 7).
Warhol’s innovative reinterpretation of portraiture in this series is now hailed as one of the most important series of the later period of his career. In this way, Sarah Bernhardt locates itself at the intersection of history and popular culture and serves as an extension of Warhol’s obsession with celebrity culture.
Sarah Bernhardt, 1980
Sotheby’s New-York: 17 November 2020
Estimated: USD 350,000 – 450,000
USD 600,800
ANDY WARHOL
Sarah Bernhardt (from Ten Portraits of Jews of the 20th Century), 1980
Acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas
40×40 inches (101.6 x 101.6 cm)
Signed and dated 80 on the overlap
Sarah Bernhardt, 1980
Sotheby’s New-York: 12 November 2015
Estimated: USD 250,000 – 350,000
USD 478,000
(#227) Andy Warhol (sothebys.com)
ANDY WARHOL
Sarah Bernhardt (from Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century), 1980
Acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas
40×40 inches (102×102 cm)
Signed and dated 1980 on the overlap
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud, 1980
Sotheby’s Paris: 3 June 2015
Estimated: EUR 400,000 – 600,000
EUR 485,000
(#18) Andy Warhol (sothebys.com)
ANDY WARHOL
Sigmund Freud (Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century), 1980
Acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas
40×40 inches (101.6 x 101.6 cm)
In the case of the portrait of Sigmund Freud, Warhol used a photograph of the founder of psychoanalysis in the 1900s that was already almost legendary. In this work – one of the most famous portraits in the series – broad flat swathes of acrylic divide the face in an almost prismatic – one might even say well thought out and aware – manner, whilst a line of red paint, linking the brain to the heart more or less doubtlessly and metaphorically, is an almost disturbing dynamic element.
George Gershwin
George Gershwin, 1980
Sotheby’s New-York: 12 November 2015
Estimated: USD 200,000 – 300,000
USD 382,000
(#228) Andy Warhol (sothebys.com)
ANDY WARHOL
George Gershwin (from Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century), 1980
Acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas
40×40 inches (102×102 cm)
Signed and dated 1980 on the overlap
George Gershwin was a renowned American pianist and composer. Gershwin worked across many different genres, from popular to classical and is best remembered for composing Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An American in Paris (1928). In the present work, Warhol renders Gershwin in his classical Pop Art style, characterized by the use of bold colors, hand-drawn lines and layering.
Gershwin is depicted from side-on, looking towards the right of the composition. The portrait is divided into quarters with each one being dominated by a different bright color.
The Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers, 1980
Sotheby’s New-York: 12 November 2015
Estimated: USD 250,000 – 350,000
USD 694,000
(#226) Andy Warhol (sothebys.com)
ANDY WARHOL
The Marx Brothers (from Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century), 1980
Acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas
40×40 inches (102×102 cm)
Signed and incorrectly dated 1800 on the overlap
The present work shows an image of the three Marx Brothers, Chico, Groucho and Harpo, based on a still frame from the 1946 film A Night in Casablanca. The Marx Brothers shot to fame with their comedy acts throughout the early to mid-20th century where they featured in vaudeville, Broadway and in motion pictures. Warhol repeats the photographic image three times across the print, the black ink fading with each iteration, and he uses abstract, collage-like blocks of orange, blue and purple color to transport the image into the 1980s Pop Art context.
For this series, Warhol chose only to depict subjects posthumously and so had to source images from archival material for each print. This charged the images with an inescapable theme of mortality appearing as if behind a veneer of modernity, their person belonging to the past whilst their image endures in the present. Using a mixture of hand drawn lines, abstracted geometric shapes, bright colors, and the original photographic image, Warhol sustains the tension between representation and reality that points to the artificial surface image of fame in the 1980s.
Works on Paper
Ten Portraits of Jews of the 20th Century, 1980
Sotheby’s New-York: 17 November 2020
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 400,000
USD 576,600
ANDY WARHOL
Ten Portraits of Jews of the 20th Century [Ten Works], 1980
Graphite on paper
Each: 31.5 x 23.5 inches (80 x 59.7 cm)
The present work is a unique instance where Warhol’s exceptional draftsmanship can be observed before his renderings are translated onto silkscreens. Each portrait executed with a phenomenal line and sensible attention to the aesthetic qualities of each individual, Ten Portraits of Jews of the 20th Century is a rare opportunity to trace back an iconic series to the artist’s hand. Although Warhol was incredibly preoccupied with celebrity, the present work also serves as an ode to each individual’s brilliance. Sarah Bernhardt and the Marx Brothers were stage and film actors, who revolutionized the world of cinema. Known for his compositions Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris, George Gershwin was a celebrated composer and pianist. Golda Meir and Louis Brandeis were both internationally recognized members of the Israeli and United States government. Franz Kafka was a major German writer highly regarded in the world of literature for his characteristic merging of realism and surrealism. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, and Albert Einstein, who drafted the theory of relativity, are historic members of the scientific community. A forefather of existentialism, Martin Buber authored a range of works philosophizing over religion, consciousness, and ethics. Lastly, Gertrude Stein, the esteemed American novelist and art collector, was significantly in the world of the Paris avant-garde. These subjects have all contributed to international culture and arts, influencing generations of artists and thinkers beyond the twentieth century, a legacy Warhol understood and venerated, evident in their selection in the present work. The masterful refinement of the subjects in Ten Portraits of Jews of the 20th Century illustrates the heightened awareness and discernment of the overall Warhol brand while bearing evidence of the artist’s hand, creating an extraordinary sense of distinctiveness at the pinnacle of his stardom.