Andy Warhol, ‘Howdy Doody (FS II.263) Trial Proof ’, 1981, Revolver Gallery

Title: Howdy Doody Trial Proof IIB.263
Medium: Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board with Diamond Dust
Size: 38” x 38”
Edition: Edition of 30 TP, signed and numbered in pencil.

Andy Warhol created Howdy Doody in 1981 for his Myths portfolio. Myths consists of 10 images of recognizable characters from American popular culture. Most of the images are taken from television or old Hollywood movies, however this screenprint is based on a photograph of Howdy Doody taken by Warhol himself. Andy Warhol’s Howdy Doody features the character waving to the viewer, wearing vibrant colors and decorated with diamond dust. Other characters in the series include Dracula, Santa Claus, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Uncle Sam. Warhol chose each character to represent a different facet of his personality. Andy covered the print in diamond dust, a gift he received from a friend at The Factory and then incorporated into his art. Myths exemplifies the pop artist’s infallible sense for the powerful themes in American popular culture. This print of Howdy Doody by Andy Warhol is a trial proof edition, indicating this it is a unique color scheme outside of the regular edition of prints.

Series: Myths, 1981

Signature: Signed and numbered in pencil, lower left.

LA Art Show 2015

About Andy Warhol

Obsessed with celebrity, consumer culture, and mechanical (re)production, Pop artist Andy Warhol created some of the most iconic images of the 20th century. As famous for his quips as for his art—he variously mused that “art is what you can get away with” and “everyone will be famous for 15 minutes”—Warhol drew widely from popular culture and everyday subject matter, creating works like his 32 Campbell's Soup Cans (1962), Brillo pad box sculptures, and portraits of Marilyn Monroe, using the medium of silk-screen printmaking to achieve his characteristic hard edges and flat areas of color. Known for his cultivation of celebrity, Factory studio (a radical social and creative melting pot), and avant-garde films like Chelsea Girls (1966), Warhol was also a mentor to artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. His Pop sensibility is now standard practice, taken up by major contemporary artists Richard Prince, Takashi Murakami, and Jeff Koons, among countless others.

American, 1928-1987, Pittsburgh, PA, United States, based in New York, NY, United States