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Oversized color limited edition 36 x 36 screenprint entitled 'John Wayne,' from Warhol’s 1986 Cowboys and Indians series, numbered 216/250, signed in pencil in the lower right, “Andy Warhol.” Published by Gaultney, Klineman Art Inc., New York, and printed on Lenox Museum Board by Rupert Jasen Smith, New York. Archivally matted and framed to an overall size of 46.5 x 47. In very fine condition.
'John Wayne' is among the most iconic images from Andy Warhol’s celebrated 'Cowboys and Indians' series, completed just one year before the artist’s death. In this late body of work, Warhol explores the mythology of the American West, applying his unmistakable Pop Art aesthetic to figures whose identities were shaped as much by mass media as by history. John Wayne—emblematic of Hollywood’s idealized cowboy hero—is transformed into a symbol of American cultural mythology.
The image is based on a publicity still from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), with Wayne’s stoic gaze, cowboy hat, and six-shooter amplified through Warhol’s bold use of color and graphic contrast. The result is a powerful synthesis of celebrity portraiture and historical commentary, underscoring Warhol’s enduring fascination with fame, image-making, and the construction of national identity.
Reference: Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné, Feldman & Schellmann II.377.
Provenance: Martin Lawrence Galleries, SoHo, 1993.
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