ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Alexander the Great (F&S. II.291-292)
sérigraphie en couleurs, 1982, sur carton du Lenox Museum, signée et annotée 'TP 12/65' au crayon, imprimée par Rupert Jasen Smith, publiée par Alexander Iolas, New York
sérigraphie unique
101.6 x 101.6 cm. (40 x 40in.)

screenprint in colours, 1982, on Lenox Museum Board, signed and numbered 'TP 12/65' in pencil, printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, published by Alexander Iolas, New York
unique print (each 'TP' being different)
Footnotes:
Provenance
Private collection, Greece.

Litterature
Frayda Feldman and Jörg Schellmann, Andy Warhol Prints, A Catalogue Raisonné, 1962-1987, Fourth Edition, Milan, 2003, no. II.291-292, page 188.


Glowing with a riot of dazzling colour, Warhol's Alexander captures the radiance and regal glamour of the great Macedonian conqueror. The aquamarine ground echoes Van Gogh's luminous backdrops, while the sinuous linear highlights, which trace their origin to the ancient Greek vase painting, reconstruct the young king's face in an expressionist manner akin to Rouault or even the Gothic and Byzantine portraits Warhol himself admired.

The independence of colour from the confines of the contour energises the entire image, recalling the bold experimentations of such surrealists as Miro and Masson, who dismantled and reassembled the constituent parts of figurative painting. The portrait of the undefeated commander is finally recomposed as an amazing cubist collage which ingeniously oscillates between reality and illusion, underlining Alexander's enduring image as both a historic personality and legendary figure.

Published by Alexander Iolas in cooperation with the Hellenic Heritage Foundation, to coincide with 'The Search for Alexander' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, October 27, 1982 - January 3, 1983.