Revisit Andy Warhol’s Most Iconic Portraits, From Liza Minnelli to His Mother
Having your portrait painted by Andy Warhol may sound like the ultimate distinction these days, but the honor was much less unheard of in the artist’s heyday. (Assuming, of course, that you weren’t lacking in money and connections.) From 1968 to his death in 1987, Warhol not only painted hundreds of commissioned portraits, but even relied on doing so: they were so integral to the funding of his less commercial enterprises that he eventually came to refer to them as “business art.” Still, unlike his portrait of Marilyn Monroe, which he created with existing imagery and without Monroe’s participation, many of the likenesses he churned out still had a personal touch: a large portion of the collectors, socialites, designers, and royals who enlisted his services first had to pose for his Polaroid camera—and, whether they knew it or not, add to the collection of extra silkscreens that Warhol dreamed of one day turning into a massive “portrait of society.” That never came to be in his lifetime, but decades later, a miniature version of that installation can now be found in a corner of the Whitney Museum of Art, in the ground floor gallery as part of a much-anticipated retrospective of the artist, on view through March 2019. More of a Factory face sheet than an inventory of Warhol’s portraiture, the rainbow grouping assembled also provides some rare insight into Warhol’s personal life. Amidst the most recognizable celebrities are Warhol’s friends and lovers, as well as a little known face he also gave the Monroe treatment: that of his mother, Julia Warhola, whom he paid homage to following her death. See her take her rightful place in Warhol’s hall of fame, here.
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Andy Warhol, Liza Minelli, 1978. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Dolly Parton, 1986. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, 1983. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Muhammad Ali, 1977. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Leo Castelli, 1975. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Tina Chow, 1983-4. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Dorothy Lichtenstein, 1974. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Dennis Hopper, 1971. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, 1976. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1982. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Carolina Herrera, 1979. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, 1979. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Giorgio Armani, 1981. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
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Andy Warhol, Julia Warhola, 1974. Featured in the exhibition “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again,” on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 2019.
