- Artist
- Andy Warhol 1928–1987
- Medium
- Screenprint on paper
- Dimensions
- Support: 635 × 708 mm
frame: 700 × 777 × 38 mm - Collection
- ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland
- Acquisition
- ARTIST ROOMS Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008
- Reference
- AR00320
Online caption
This exhibition poster features the portrait of the hugely successful actress, Elizabeth Taylor. Warhol first painted her portrait in 1963 when she was at the height of her career. Yet she was also severely ill with pneumonia. This highlights Warhol’s fascination with celebrity and death that began with his painting of Marilyn Monroe following her suicide in 1962 and continued throughout his oeuvre. In this portrait Warhol used a publicity photograph for Taylor’s film ‘Butterfield 8’ as the basis for the screenprint. It is typical of his 1960s Pop style with vibrant, flat blocks of colour. This poster was made for an exhibition held in 1965, the same year Warhol famously announced that he was ‘retiring’ from painting.