Why is Alexander The Great so important?

Warhol was obsessed with fame and the glamourous lives of celebrities. The artist would often host parties for A-list celebrities at his iconic New York studio, The Factory. Warhol produced portraits of many famous figures, including Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. As well as depicting celebrities, Warhol was also prone to producing portraits of historical figures, such as Chairman Mao, Beethoven and Goethe. The Alexander the Great collection can be seen alongside these other collections of notable figures who have significant historical and cultural legacies behind them which transcend the surface level fame of popular celebrities.

How do I buy an Alexander The Great print?

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How can I sell my Alexander The Great print?

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Alexander The Great by Andy Warhol Buy & Sell

Alexander
The Great

While Andy Warhol is better known for portraits of his contemporaries, he also created this print series depicting Alexander the Great in 1983. Commissioned by the MoMA, Warhol’s series also homages art dealer, Alexander Iolas, whose own distinctive Greek features earnt him the moniker ‘the Great’.

Meaning & Analysis

Warhol’s Alexander the Great interestingly combines an ancient historical figure with Pop visuals normally reserved for contemporary celebrities. The signed prints come in a limited edition size of 25 and were commissioned by art dealer Alexander Iolas to correspond with the exhibition of ancient art and artefacts ‘The Search for Alexander’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art

Iolas was nicknamed Alexander the Great amongst his peers in the New York art scene due to his distinct Greek features and it is likely that Warhol produced the prints of Alexander the Great as a tribute to Iolas who helped propel Warhol into the art world by championing the artist during the early stages of his artistic career.

The prints in the collection are inspired by the image of Alexander the Great, the ancient king of Macedon. The prints are based on a Hellenistic bronze bust of Alexander the Great and the bust is rendered in Warhol’s signature Pop Art style against bright and bold coloured backdrops.

Warhol was obsessed with fame and the glamourous lives of celebrities. The artist would often host parties for A-list celebrities at his iconic New York studio, The Factory. Warhol produced portraits of many famous figures, including Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. As well as depicting celebrities, Warhol was also prone to producing portraits of historical figures, such as Chairman Mao, Beethoven and Goethe. The Alexander the Great collection can be seen alongside these other collections of notable figures who have significant historical and cultural legacies behind them which transcend the surface level fame of popular celebrities.
The Alexander the Great collection is notable as it is the only collection of portraits in which Warhol uses a classical sculpture as his subject. Warhol tended to use famous paintings of his subjects as the base for his prints which he would then modify by adding blocks of colour and graphic lines. The prints in this collection are steeped in art history and they engage with themes of antiquity by maintaining the essence of the bust’s original bronze material.
The interaction between the classical bust and modern vivid colours and graphic lines captures Warhol’s growing interest in exploring the intersections between the past and present. In the 1980s, Warhol started depicting older subjects, such as historical figures or celebrated masterpieces. These subjects contrast with his depictions of commercial goods, such as those in the Ads collection. Notable collections that explore historical periods include Details of Renaissance, Reigning Queens and Cowboys and Indians. Warhol rendered these classical subjects in his highly contemporary Pop Art style, blurring the boundaries between past and present and transforming these symbols of the past into 20th century Pop icons.
If you're looking to sell art by Andy Warhol, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.