Northwest Coast Mask
from Cowboys and Indians

Medium: Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Year: 1986
Sheet: 36×36 inches (91.4 x 91.4 cm)
Edition: 250
Artist’s Proofs: 50 AP
Printer’s Proofs: 15 PP
Hors Commerce: 15 HC
Other: 10 numbered in Roman numerals
Trial Proofs: 36 TP in unique color combination
(see Feldmann & Schellmann IIB.380
Publisher: Gaultney, Klineman Art, Inc., New York
Printer: Rupert Jasen Smith, New-York
Literature: Feldmann & Schellmann II.380

Signed and numbered in pencil lower right
With the publisher’s blindstamp and the artist’s copyright inkstamp on the reverse

 

 

Northwest Coast Mask is among the most conceptually layered images from his late portfolio Cowboys and Indians, a series in which he turns his attention to the visual mythology of the American West while subtly exposing the tensions embedded within it. Unlike the more familiar figures of cowboys, generals, or Hollywood archetypes, this work draws on a source rooted in Indigenous material culture, immediately shifting the register of the series.

The composition is based on a traditional ceremonial mask from the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Warhol employs his signature screenprinting technique to reimagine the traditional mask through a pop art lens. The composition presents the mask frontally, emphasizing its symmetrical design and intricate details. Warhol utilizes a vivid color palette, with bold reds, blues, and yellows set against a stark white background. This choice of colors not only highlights the mask’s features but also aligns with Warhol’s tendency to use striking hues to captivate the viewer’s attention. By isolating the mask from its original context and rendering it in a pop art style, Warhol invites viewers to reconsider the ways in which Indigenous art is perceived and consumed in popular culture. ​

Northwest Coast Mask  delves into the rich artistic traditions of Indigenous peoples from the Pacific Northwest. The mask depicted in Warhol’s print is inspired by ceremonial artifacts created by Indigenous communities such as the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. These masks often represent supernatural beings, animals, or ancestral spirits and play a central role in potlatch ceremonies and other cultural rituals. Specifically, the mask in Warhol’s work features the image of Sisiutl, a two-headed sea serpent revered as a powerful guardian and symbol of transformation.

What distinguishes this work within the portfolio is the nature of its subject. Unlike figures such as Theodore Roosevelt or popular representations of cowboys, the mask is not a constructed myth of American expansion but an artifact of a pre-existing cultural system: one that predates and resists the very narrative the series appears to explore. Warhol’s treatment is therefore deliberately ambiguous. On one level, he elevates the object to the status of an icon, granting it the same visual authority as his portraits of celebrities. On another, he subjects it to the same process of appropriation and reproduction, raising questions about how cultural symbols are absorbed, recontextualized, and commodified within Western visual culture.

Northwest Coast Mask is part of Cowboys and Indians
(Click on picture below to access the Catalogue entry)

This tension lies at the core of Cowboys and Indians. The portfolio does not simply celebrate the imagery of the West; it stages a confrontation between competing narratives: those of conquest, representation, and identity. In Northwest Coast Mask, this confrontation becomes particularly acute. The mask retains a sense of presence and autonomy, yet it is undeniably filtered through Warhol’s system, where all images—regardless of origin—are flattened into a shared visual economy.

Northwest Coast Mask stands as a testament to Warhol’s interest in the symbols and artifacts that shape cultural identity. By incorporating the Indigenous mask into the Cowboys and Indians series, Warhol not only acknowledges the artistic contributions of Native American communities but also prompts a dialogue about cultural appropriation and representation. The print encourages viewers to reflect on the complexities of cultural exchange and the role of art in bridging diverse traditions. ​

 

 

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Auction Market Overview

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Regular Editions

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Christie’s New-York: 16 April 2025
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 30,240

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Northwest Coast Mask, from Cowboys and Indians (Feldman & Schellmann II.380), 1986
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered 149⁄250

Wright: 3 April 2025
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 33,020

Waddington’s: 31 October 2024
Estimated: CAD 30,000 – 40,000
CAD 47,110 / USD 33,795

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987), American
NORTHWEST COAST MASK, FROM COWBOYS AND INDIANS, 1986 [F&S. II.380]
Screenprint in colours on Lenox Museum Board, the full sheet
Signed and editioned “AP 10/50” in pencil, aside from the edition of 250

Christie’s New-York: 25 October 2024
Estimated: USD 25,000 – 35,000
USD 40,320

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Northwest Coast Mask, from Cowboys and Indians (Feldman & Schellmann II.380), 1986
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered 79⁄250 (there were also 50 artist’s proofs)

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Christie’s New-York: 28 October 2023
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 32,760

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Northwest Coast Mask, from Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Boards
Signed in pencil, numbered 78⁄250

Wright: 8 August 2023
Estimated: USD 35,000 – 45,000
USD 37,800

REPEAT SALE

Bonhams New-York: 2 November 2021
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 31,562

ANDY WARHOL
Northwest Coast Mask (from the Cowboys and Indians series), 1986
Screen-print in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and numbered in pencil to lower right ’46/250 Andy Warhol’

Christie’s online: 16 March 2023
Estimated: GBP 12,000 – 18,000
GBP 25,200 / USD 30,515

ANDY WARHOL
Northwest Coast Mask, from: Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Screen-print in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered 67/250

Artnet Auctions: 31 January 2023
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 32,500

ANDY WARHOL
Northwest Coast Mask, from: Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Screen-print in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered 29/250

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Heritage Auctions: 26 October 2022
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 20,000
USD 47,500
AUCTION RECORD FOR NORTHWEST COAST MASK

ANDY WARHOL
Northwest Coast Mask, from: Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Screen-print in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered 138/250

Christie’s New-York: 19 July 2022
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 18,000
USD 32,760

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Northwest Coast Mask, from Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil, numbered 234/250 (there were also 50 artist’s proofs)

Van Ham Cologne: 1 June 2022
Estimated: EUR 18,000 – 24,000
EUR 36,960 / USD 39,820

WARHOL, ANDY (1928 Pittsburgh, PA/USA – 1987 New York)
 Northwest Coast Mask, From: Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Serigraphy on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and numbered 71/250

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Bonhams New-York: 2 November 2021
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 31,562

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Northwest Coast Mask, from Cowboys and Indians (Feldman & Schellmann II.380), 1986
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil and numbered 46/250

Christie’s New-York: 22 October 2021
Estimated: USD 18,000 – 25,000
USD 35,000

ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Northwest Coast Mask, from Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum board
Signed in pencil, numbered 244/250

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Dorotheum Vienna: 26 November 2020
Estimated: EUR 15,000 – 20,000
EUR 25,300 / USD 30,000

Northwest Coast Mask (5/250)
Alex Cooper Auctioneers: 27 June 2019
Estimated: USD 22,500 – 25,000
PASSED

Northwest Coast Mask (236/250)
LA Modern: 19 May 2019
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 18,000
USD 22,500

Northwest Coast Mask (121/250)
Christie’s New-York: 18 April 2019
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 25,000
USD 21,250

Northwest Coast Mask (236/250)
Abell Los Angeles: 24 February 2019
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 20,000
USD 15,000 (Hammer)
USD 18,750

Northwest Coast Mask (9/250)
Christie’s New-York: 24 October 2018
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 25,000
USD 22,500

Northwest Coast Mask (5/250)
Bonhams Los Angeles: 23 October 2018
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 18,000
USD 18,750

Northwest Coast Mask (234/250)
Koller Zurich: 30 June 2018
Estimated: CHF 15,000 – 20,000
CHF 14,900 / USD 15,050

Northwest Coast Mask (149/250)
Christie’s New-York: 20 April 2018
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 25,000
USD 25,000

Northwest Coast Mask (AP 10/50)
Waddington’s Toronto: 6 October 2016
Estimated: CAD 12,000 – 18,000
CAD 19,800 / USD 14,990

Northwest Coast Mask (V/X)
Sotheby’s New-York: 28 July 2016
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 18,000
USD 18,750

 

 

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Trial Proofs

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Northwest Coast Mask (TP 18/36)

Heritage Auctions: 10 April 2017
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 45,000
TRIAL PROOF

ANDY WARHOL
Northwest Coast Mask, from the Cowboys and Indians series, 1986
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed and inscribed TP 18/36 (each print is unique) in pencil lower right
A Trial Proof aside from the edition of 250

Northwest Coast Mask (TP 23/36)

Sotheby’s New-York: 1 November 2013
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 25,000
USD 28,125
TRIAL PROOF

ANDY WARHOL
Northwest Coast Mask (F. & S. II.380), from Cowboys and Indians, 1986
Screenprint in colors on Lenox Museum Board
Signed in pencil and inscribed ‘TP 23/36’
A unique color trial proof, aside from the numbered edition of 250