Andy Warhol, Kachina Dolls, from the Cowboys and Indians Series, 1986 Unique Trial Proof

Artist: Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987)
Title:Kachina Dolls, From the Cowboys and Indians Series, 1986 Unique Trial Proof
Reference:FS IIB.381
Series:Cowboys and Indians Series, 1986
Medium:Color Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board
Image:36 in x 36 in (91.4 cm x 91.4 cm)
Sheet:36 in x 36 in (91.4 cm x 91.4 cm)
Framed:Approx. 44 13/16 in x 44 13/16 in (113.8 cm x 113.8 cm)
Edition:A unique work inscribed ‘TP’ (trial proof) and numbered from the edition of 36 unique trial proofs; aside from the edition of 250; published by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., New York; printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, New York.
Signature:This work is hand signed by Andy Warhol (Pennsylvania, 1928 - New York, 1987) in pencil in the lower left.
Condition:This work is in excellent condition.
ID #W-6558

Historical Description

Andy Warhol Kachina Dolls, from the Cowboys and Indians Series, 1986 depicts the echoing figure of a carved kachina, a spirit believed by the Hopi people to control various natural elements. The geometric marks on its face and body are here depicted in a glowing orange set against a lime-green. The feather decorating its head are buzzing with an electric turquoise outline.  In his unique pop-art style, Warhol reimagines a cultural symbol and draws the viewer's attention to an important element of the Hopi lifestyle by structuring it in a bold and graphic aesthetic.

In the Cowboys and Indians Series, Warhol makes the familiar choice of favoring popular imagery over what is historically accurate. In each of the ten screenprints, the cowboys and Native Americans are stripped of their historical context and presented as pop culture icons. Warhol therefore creates an ironic commentary on the mass mythologizing of the American West.

Created in 1986, this color screenprint on Lenox Museum Board is hand signed by Andy Warhol (Pennsylvania, 1928 - New York, 1987) in pencil in the lower right. A unique work inscribed ‘TP’ (trial proof) and numbered from the edition of 36 unique trial proofs; aside from the edition of 250; published by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., New York; printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, New York.

This screenprint is part of a portfolio of works Warhol created in 1986 titled Cowboys and Indians. Other works in the Cowboys and Indians Series include General CusterSitting BullGeronimoAnnie Oakley, War Bonnet Indian, Buffalo Nickel, Action Picture, Northwest Coast Mask, Plains Indians Shield, Mother and Child, Indian Head Nickel, Teddy Roosevelt, and John Wayne.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Andy Warhol Kachina Dolls, from the Cowboys and Indians Series, 1986 Unique Trial Proof is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work).

1. Feldman, Frayda and Jörg Schellmann. Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné 1962 – 1987, 4th Ed. New York: Distributed Art Publishers, Inc., 2003. Other variants are listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné IIB.381.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.

About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Andy Warhol Kachina Dolls, From the Cowboys and Indians Series, 1986 Unique Trial Proof is presented in a complementary moulding and mats and optical grade Plexiglas.