Dream & Discover
Dream Andy Warhol
Copyright © 2021 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Andy Warhol and Marilyn Monroe: the King and Queen of Pop. London Original Print Fair takes place this week (1-8 May), a medium much popularised by Warhol and of which ‘Marilyn Monroe’ is one of the most iconic. It was the first of the artist’s signature screen prints, and went on to become one of the most significant and recognisable works of art of the 20th century. The portrait reflects Warhol’s (and society’s) obsession with celebrity culture, with the diptych style inspired by the Byzantine icons of Christian saints – a comment on the modern-day worship of stars like Monroe. Graphic, repetitious and strikingly visual, it’s an example of how Warhol’s work anticipated social media iconography decades before Instagram was ever invented. Sixty years later, this one’s still going viral.