Andy Warhol

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The portraits of Andy Warhol, the undisputed champion of American Pop Art, are the fruits of one of his most significant creative periods. The `icon' of the series, Marilyn Monroe, originated as early as 1962. From then on until the last year of his life, Warhol created a virtual museum of personalities, both living and deceased, from the worlds of film, showbusiness, art, literature and politics. Among the best-known images shown here are those of Truman Capote, David Hockney, John Lennon, Judy Garland, Rudolph Nureyev, Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Characteristic of Warhol's unique style of portraiture is the use of silkscreens made from polaroid photographs - some of which were taken by the artist during encounters with his `sitters' at the notorious Factory. Warhol primed his silkscreens with a rich repertoire of colours, both bold and expressionistic, which gave rise to some of the most distinctive portraits of our time, reviving the genre more successfully than anyone since John Singer Sargent. This book includes more than 70 subjects, from Joseph Beuys to Elizabeth Taylor - an extraordinary gallery of some of the most famous and influential figures of the century, by one of its most important artists. Henry Geldzahler established the Department of 20th Century Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. From 1978 to 1983 he served as Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for the City of New York.