Dan's Papers - August 10, 2007 - Andy Warhol: Unique and Unpublished Works

Perhaps best known (to the novice art collector) for his bright-colored pop art silkscreen paintings that used imagery such as celebrity photographs, Andy Warhol also created a plethora of pieces that were never published. A few years in the making, the exhibit Andy Warhol: Unique and Unpublished Works at Vered Gallery, features 25 of these unique and unpublished Warhol pieces, all stamped with authentication by The Andy Warhol Foundation. These unpublished works range from original photography to line art and final prints, and give the viewer a glimpse into the practice and procedure of this very controversial and influential American artist. For instance, a trial proof screenprint designed for a Perrier Water poster hangs on the wall at Vered Gallery. Printed on Saunders Waterford hot pressed paper, this piece has slight variations in color from the final poster. It makes us wonder why Warhol originally chose the colors in the featured piece.

I asked Janet Lehr, Vered Gallery Director and Curator of the Warhol exhibit, why there isn't more public interest in these unique works, as the exclusivity and rarity of these pieces seems obvious. "But how would the general public know about these unpublished pieces?" she said. "People only think about the published pieces as valuable. The unpublished works have been overlooked, but the uniqueness has more importance," Lehr continued.

The exhibit allows the viewer to witness Warhol's exploration of color and compositional variations during his proofing, as several variations were often created through his experimentations. These unpublished works of art, acquired from the estate of Fred Hughes, Warhol's Business Manager, were commissioned for commercial purposes, intended as gifts or used in special projects. "The surge in Warhol prices has made selling them more interesting," Lehr added, but noted that the pieces in the exhibit are "extremely good buys."

During his career, but mostly in the 1980s, Warhol provided his work for magazines, posters and advertisements, several of which are featured in the exhibit at Vered Gallery. These featured works include "Perfume Bottles," previously used in Harpers Bazaar, "Fragrance & Cosmetics," "Men's Wear" and "Women's Accessories," which were all used as Halston advertisements in Interview Magzine, including the unique aforementioned trial proof of a poster designed for Perrier in 1983.

Pieces featured in the exhibit such as "Candy Box," "Heart" and "Chocolate Bunny" were all created as holiday gifts for friends, colleagues and clients, a deed that Warhol was known to do often. Two unpublished screenprints from the "Fish" series, one in silver/gray and one in pink, were part of uniquely colored screens used as a backdrop at a gallery exhibition in Switzerland in 1983.

Also on display and available for sale is a screenprint of Lee Iaccoca, one of the world's most recognized businessmen, on handmade paper and titled "I Gotta Tell You," which was commissioned by Time Magazine and featured on its cover in 1985. Other Time Magazine covers by Andy Warhol, although not on display at Vered Gallery, include Michael Jackson in 1984 and John Gotti in 1986.

The prints from the "Love" portfolio that are on display were perhaps the most intriguing to me as eight variations are shown, including original photography and line art for "Woman" and varying trial proof screenprints for the portfolio in pink/orange/yellow, silver/gray, silver/gold, pink/green and purple/gold. "Wouldn't a collector want all of them," asked Lehr. It made sense to assume that a serious collector would recognize the individualized character in each of these pieces from the "Love" portfolio, as once again we are given the opportunity to, within limits, follow Warhol's artistic process.

Vered Gallery is located at 68 Park Place in East Hampton. The unpublished works of Andy Warhol will be on display through August 20. Call (631) 324-3303 or visit www.veredart.com. An unpublished piece from Warhol's Love Portfolio