The latest edition in Christie’s series of online auctions dedicated to the work of Andy Warhol sees a selection of 110 works from his iconic Factory era. ‘Andy Warhol’s Factory’ will be open for online bidding from February 16 and will feature photographs, drawings and prints with highlights including self-portrait photographs as well as images of some of the memorable characters of the period, such as Sean Lennon and Steve Jobs (dating from 1985).
They may have looked like nondescript buildings on East 47th Street and Union Square, but they were anything but. Andy Warhol’s studios, called ‘The Factory,’ was where the artist worked, entertained and did everything in between. It was part salon, part theatre and anyone who was anyone in New York City wanted to be invited. It was here where iconic album covers for The Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones were created. It was here where Warhol ‘superstars’ such as Holly Woodlawn, Edie Sedgwick, Ondine and David Bowie hung around and sat for their screen tests. And it was here where Andy Warhol created his iconic Pop artworks that would forever change the art world.
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts was established in 1987. In accordance with Andy Warhol’s will, its mission is the advancement of the visual arts. The primary focus of the Foundation’s grant-making activity has been to support the creation, presentation and documentation of contemporary visual arts, particularly work that is experimental, under-recognized or challenging in nature. The program has been both pro-active in its approach to the field of cultural philanthropy and responsive to the changing needs of artists. A strong commitment to freedom of artistic expression continues to inform the Foundation’s support of organizations that fight censorship, protect artists’ rights and defend their access to evolving technologies in the digital age.
Through cooperative exhibitions, loans and permanent placement of work in museums nationwide, the Foundation has ensured that the many facets of Warhol’s complex oeuvre are both widely accessible and properly cared for. In helping to establish the comprehensive collection and study center of The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the Foundation paved the way for new Warhol scholarship and curatorial innovation. The Foundation’s sustained support and oversight of thoroughly researched, extensively illustrated catalogues raisonnés of Warhol’s entire artistic output continues to expand the possibilities for scholarship about his work.
The Foundation has also used its ownership of the copyrights to Warhol images and trademarks to his name and signature as an opportunity to craft creative and responsible licensing policies that are both friendly to scholars and artists wishing to use Warhol images for educational and creative purposes and profitable to the Foundation when the images are used for commercial purposes. Revenues from licensing agreements add significantly to those earned through the continued sale of work from the Foundation’s art collection, enabling the Foundation to build the endowment from which it makes cash grants to arts organizations around the country. Visit the Foundation’s website at www.warholfoundation.org.