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Andy Warhol’s Greatest Love: Cats

Artsy Editorial
Jun 22, 2013 12:42PM

To call Andy Warhol a “cat person” would be an understatement. The ever-quotable Pop artist openly proclaimed his love for money, fame, and beauty—but in a Lexington Avenue apartment where he was once rumored to live with his mother and 25 felines, there seems to have been little contest to cats. In 1954, Warhol published a book of hand-colored lithographs titled 25 Cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy, void of text except for calligraphic captions by his mother (who accidentally left off the ‘d’ in the title—a flaw which Warhol embraced). According to Warhol’s nephew, who published his own book Uncle Andy’s Cats in 2009, Warhol’s collection of cats began when he feared his single cat named Hester would grow lonely. After bringing home an additional cat, named Sam, the two began a family—eventually reaching 25, each of whom Warhol gave the same name.

See Warhol elegantly posed with a cat here, and find his work in our featured sale, Andy Warhol: Polaroids and Limited-Edition Prints.

Artsy Editorial