Andy Warhol’s first introduction to the work of Edvard Munch can be traced back to a trip to Oslo in 1971, where the artist payed a visit to both the National Gallery and the Munch Museum. Warhol spoke on how he was more impressed by the artist’s prints than his paintings, with an understanding that a need for creating an income and building Munch’s reputation was also important. In 1982, however, Warhol was again immersed in the work of the famed artist; this time not in Norway but at the Galleri Bellman on 57th St in New York City. The gallery was showing a wide collection of Munch’s works including the 1895 lithograph The Scream, which was on loan from the Munch Museum in Oslo. Returning numerous times to the gallery as a fan of the artist’s works, Warhol secured a commission to paint the After Munch series, depicting The Scream, Eva Mudocci and Self Portrait juxtaposed with Madonna, with 5 canvas for each work.

A year later, Warhol began working on a new project which reinterpreted these same compositions through screenprintng. Warhol was to create 60 portfolios, each consisting of the 3 works originally done on canvas. The artist began his process by ordering photographs and transparencies that were to be enlarged and used for his tracings, as he applied large bold lines of pencil to outline the necessary boundaries. Then, his printer Rupert Jasen Smith, with the use of stencils, added blocks of color that allowed for unique combinations to each individual print. In this way, both the printer and the artist collaborated to create varied works that offer completely different reinterpretations of Munch’s works with the signature Pop Art style that drove Warhol to his fame.

However, disagreements between both parties which included the directors of Galleri Bellman and the artist’s studio unfortunately meant that the project was scrapped. It is for this reason that the exact number of unique impressions created is unknown. The present work comes from this unrealized project, which showed Warhol at the height of his innovated use of both printmaking and respect for classical artist’s. This work is part of a common theme found in Warhol’s final decade where he appropriated the images of de Chirico, Picasso, Cranach, Leonardo and Raphael. The intricate use of composition and color, as well as the mystery behind the unrealized project, propel this work to the highest caliber of material created by the artist whose response to the aura of an image produced works that live in infamy, like that of his Marilyns and Soup Cans.

The present example is coming from a Private Collection, California and is one of the stronger color combinations of this unique screenprint, where the sky, water and figure contrast brilliantly and vibrantly, which lends itself perfectly to the subject.

Please be advised that due to recent global concerns, there may be fulfillment delays during the post-sale process.