In 1950s New York, before he became one of the most famous names of the 20th century, Andy Warhol was already a skilled and successful commercial artist. At that time, as part of his strategy to acquire clients and forge friendships, he created seven handmade artist books for his most valued contacts. These contain personal, unique drawings and quirky texts that reveal his fondness for cats, food, myths, shoes, pretty boys and beautiful girls, among other things.
Decades later, with the originals selling for thousands of dollars at auctions, TASCHEN presents an XL volume of meticulous reprints of these seven books. With titles such as Love Is a Pink Cake, 25 Cats Named Sam, and À la Recherche du Shoe Perdu, the series reveals the artist's eccentricity as well as his skillful drawing, boundless creativity, and humor full of innuendo.
This book plays delightfully with styles and genres, including A Is for Alphabet, which devotes a page to each letter of the alphabet, with illustrations complemented by stumbling three-line verses that tell of strange encounters between humans and animals. In the Bottom of My Garden is at once a Warhol twist on a children's book and a disguised celebration of homosexual love. Wild Raspberries is a spoof cookbook with an abundance of adventurous recipes and illustrations.
This volume also includes introductions to each of Warhol's illustrations. Complete with rarely seen photographs of the artist, inspirational ephemera and commercial commissions, they contextualize Warhol's art from the 1950s and offer a glimpse into his early creative process and his engaging, playful nature.
Little-known, coveted jewels in Warhol's crown, these hand-drawn delights are as appealing and original today as they were in the beautiful days of the 1950s and offer a unique glimpse of a budding genius on the threshold of global fame.
Specifications
Title: Andy Warhol. Seven Illustrated Books 1952-1959
Author: Nina Schleif
Publisher: Taschen
Size: 250 x 340 x 35 mm
Size: 288 pages
Weight: 2060 grams
Language: English
Material: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-8365-9258-1
