Andy WARHOL (1928-1987)
Sunset
1972
Unique screenprint on smooth wove paper.
34 x 34 in. (86.4 x 86.4 cm.)
Signed and dated in pencil “Andy Warhol © 1972”,
numbered /470 (from the total edition of 632 unique impressions),
with the “HOTEL MARQUETTE PRINTS” inkstamp on the reverse.
Printer: Salvatore Silkscreen Co., Inc., New York
Publisher: David Whitney, New York
Certificate: a copy of a letter from Lesch Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota enclosing a copy of a letter of authenticity from the Andy Warhol Studio, New York, NY, dated March 16, 1981.
Provenance: – Lesch Gallery, Minneapolis – Private collection, USA
Literature: “Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné 1962-1987,” edited by Frayda Feldman and Jörg Schellmann, 3rd ed. revised and expanded by Freyda Feldman and Claudia Defendi, 1997, II.85-88 and IIA.85-88, p.77 and 161 (other impressions ill.).
Andy Warhol’s Sunset (1972) is a series of 632 unique screenprints originally commissioned by architects Johnson & Burgee to decorate the Hotel Marquette in Minneapolis. Of the 632 unique prints, 472 were installed in hotel guest rooms, while 160 were sold in 40 portfolios of four prints each. When the hotel was renovated in 1981, the original prints were returned to Warhol to be signed, numbered /470, dated, and stamped in black “Hotel Marquette Prints” on verso.
Unlike many of his other series, each print in this collection features a unique color combination, ranging from naturalistic reds and oranges to “otherworldly” neon greens and purples.
Each print was created using only three screens: one for the background bands of color, one for the sun, and one for a single-color dot pattern.
By varying the ink colors and the alignment of the screens, Warhol produced hundreds of “weather systems,” effectively turning a mechanical process into a poetic study of nature.
The print series was inspired by Warhol’s earlier experimental film “Sunset”, commissioned in 1964 by John and Dominique de Menil for an ecumenical chapel at the 1968 World’s Fair. The 33-minute film was intended to be a contemplative experience, with spiritual significance, consisting of a slow, static shot of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean in California. An off-screen soundtrack features the deep voice of singer Nico reciting poetry, adding a meditative layer to the visual shift of atmospheric light.