Eight Elvises
| Eight Elvises | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Andy Warhol |
| Year | 1963 |
| Type | Silkscreen on canvas |
| Dimensions | 200 cm × 370 cm (6.5 ft × 12 ft) |
| Location | Private collection |
Eight Elvises is a 1963
for $100 million to a private buyer, which at the time was the most valuable work by Andy Warhol. The current owner and location of the painting, which has not been seen publicly since the 1960s, are unknown.Background
Eight Elvises is composed of eight identical, overlapping images of Elvis Presley in cowboy attire, silkscreened over a silver background.[1][2] The painting was originally a portion of a 37-foot long (11 m) piece, containing sixteen copies of Elvis, that was showcased in a 1963 exhibition at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles. The exhibition, Warhol's second at the Ferus, contained several other pieces using the same image of Elvis, as well as a series of head shots of Elizabeth Taylor.[1] The images of Elvis were taken from a publicity still from the movie Flaming Star.[3] When the gallery was dismantled, the section with eight images of Elvis became a distinct piece, measuring 6+1⁄2 by 12 feet (200 by 370 cm).[2][4] While Warhol created 22 versions of the painting with two Elvises on it, known as Double Elvis, only one piece titled Eight Elvises was created.[2][5]
2008 sale
In 2008, Eight Elvises was sold by
Another painting from 1963, Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster), broke the valuation record for a Warhol work set by Eight Elvises when it sold for $105.4 million at auction in November 2013.[8]
See also
- Triple Elvis
- List of most expensive paintings
- List of all known Warhol Elvis silkscreens, their current location, as well as prices met, when known
Notes
- ^ a b McCarthy (2006), 354
- ^ a b c d Johnson, Andrew (29 November 2009). "The $100m Warhol". The Independent. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ McCarthy (2006), 363
- ^ McCarthy (2006), 356
- ^ Lerner, George (10 May 2012). "Warhol 'Double Elvis' goes for $37 million". CNN. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "The Pop master's highs and lows". The Economist. 26 November 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ Vogel, Carol (23 September 2010). "Auction World's Blast of Brash". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "Andy Warhol auction record shattered". BBC News. BBC. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
References
- McCarthy, David (June 2006). "Andy Warhol's Silver Elvises: Meaning through Context at the Ferus Gallery in 1963". Art Bulletin. 88 (2): 354–372. S2CID 192062102.[permanent dead link]
