Andy Warhol

Foot with Cat

1955–7

© 2020 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Right Society (ARS), New York and DACS, London

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Not on display

Artist
Andy Warhol 1928–1987
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
Support: 424 × 350 mm
frame: 680 × 550 × 28 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
AR00259

Online caption

Warhol was renowned for his foot fetish. His commercial work was dominated by popular shoe illustrations and in his personal drawings he also enjoyed depicting feet. In this linear pen drawing, he shows a foot that seems to be resting on a decorated tablecloth with a cat perched behind. The cloth’s design, with small doves holding olive branches in their beaks, bears distinct similarities to aspects of Henri Matisse’s work. Warhol had numerous pet cats and in 1954 he published a series of cat portraits in the form of a book - although the cats depicted were not based on his animals but instead on photographs by a cat photographer. However, in ‘Foot with Cat’ the casual composition creates the impression that this was perhaps an impromptu sketch and so the cat may be one of Warhol’s own.

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