Andy WarholChristmas Sewing Theme 1957

This illustration is typical of the work for which Warhol became renowned as a commercial artist in New York in the 1950s. It demonstrates his intuitive blotted-line technique combined with vibrant colours which bring the image to life. The coloured inks were possibly added at one of Warhol’s colouring parties, hosted at the fashionable Serendipity 3 café after its opening in 1954. He would encourage his friends – some of whom would have helped him create the original illustrations - to colour the works with an inventiveness that adds to their whimsical nature. This process looks forward to the production methods of Warhol’s legendary studio, the Factory, in the 1960s.