Andy Warhol

Russell Means

1976

© 2019 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
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions
Support: 1260 × 889 mm
frame: 1365 × 990 × 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
AR00421

Online caption

This poster features a screenprinted portrait of the first director of the American Indian Movement, Russell Means. Best known for his activities in promoting the rights of American Indians in the 1970s, he gained wide recognition in 1973 for leading the takeover of the South Dakota town of Wounded Knee. This was symbolic, as it was at the centre of a massacre of the Sioux (Native Americans) by the U.S. Army in 1890. The early 1970s saw Warhol paint both people he admired, such as Means, and commissioned portraits of the rich and famous. Although he depicts Means in traditional dress - an acknowledgement of his roots - it has been noted that the ‘Pop’ treatment trivialises to some degree the significance of Means’s activities and the importance of his objectives.

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