Andy Warhol

Self-Portrait

1978

© 2021 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by DACS, London

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Not on display

Artist: Andy Warhol 1928–1987
Medium: Acrylic paint and silkscreen on canvas
Dimensions: Support: 408 × 333 × 20 mm
frame: 458 × 382 × 55 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: AR00501

Online caption

This self-portrait was completed ten years after Warhol was shot and critically injured by Valerie Solanas in 1968. Following this attempt on his life, Warhol became even more obsessed with the themes of death and religion than he had been previously. In 1978 he completed several series’ of self-portraits with skulls to which this silkscreen bears a resemblance. Warhol has painted aggressive red brushstrokes on the dark blue background before printing the photographic image in black.