Electric Chair (F. & S. II.79)
Electric Chair (F. & S. II.79)
Signed Print
Andy Warhol
£6,500-£9,500Value Indicator
$13,500-$20,000 Value Indicator
$12,000-$17,000 Value Indicator
¥60,000-¥90,000 Value Indicator
€7,500-€11,000 Value Indicator
$70,000-$100,000 Value Indicator
¥1,220,000-¥1,780,000 Value Indicator
$8,500-$12,500 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 250
Year: 1971
Size: H 90cm x W 122cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2024 | Sotheby's New York | United States | |||
| July 2022 | Christie's London | United Kingdom | |||
| March 2021 | Forum Auctions London | United Kingdom | |||
| January 2021 | Phillips London | United Kingdom | |||
| November 2020 | Swann Galleries | United States | |||
| December 2019 | Il Ponte Auction House, Via Pontaccio | Italy | |||
| November 2018 | Germann Auctions | Switzerland |
Meaning & Analysis
As part of Andy Warhol’s Electric Chair series (1971), the print Electric Chair (F. & S. II.79) features an image of an empty electric chair, repurposed from a newspaper clipping about the high-profile executions of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Warhol creates a screen print of the photograph retaining much of its original, grainy quality. By appropriating an image from the mass-media to create this print work, Warhol deliberately mocks the then-dominant Abstract Expressionist style and contradicts the movement’s ideas on originality and authorship.
This print is a striking departure from the original Electric Chair painting that featured in the 1964 Death and Disaster series. The vibrant colours used in the negative renditions of the image create a dramatic juxtaposition to the grave and empty image that lies beneath. Warhol hints at the political with the print by using colours that are hard to ignore, such as the heavily contrasted, dark brown and blue tones on this print that make the original image almost unrecognizable, thus unsettling and forcing the viewer to confront this haunting image of death head on.
Warhol makes the point that these images are so often ignored in newspapers, and so here he transforms the media photograph into a work of fine art to be thoughtfully considered in the gallery setting. The representational, grainy texture juxtaposed with the abstract strokes of colour produce a ghostly contour and pulsating visual effect, bringing viewers to the moment of electrocution.
Andy Warhol was a leading figure of the Pop Art movement and is often considered the father of Pop Art. Born in 1928, Warhol allowed cultural references of the 20th century to drive his work. From the depiction of glamorous public figures, such as Marilyn Monroe, to the everyday Campbell’s Soup Can, the artist challenged what was considered art by blurring the boundaries between high art and mass consumerism. Warhol's preferred screen printing technique further reiterated his obsession with mass culture, enabling art to be seen as somewhat of a commodity through the reproduced images in multiple colour ways.
