Andy Warhol - Flowers F.S. II 64 jpg
Andy Warhol Flowers 64 framed.
Andy Warhol's signature in pen on the back of Flowers 66.
Andy Warhol - Flowers_FS II.72_hanging
Andy Warhol Flowers 64
Andy Warhol working on the Flowers screenprints at the Factory.

Flowers 64

Catalog Title: Flowers (FS II.64)
Year: 1970
Size: 36" x 36"
Medium: Screenprint on paper.
Edition: Edition of 250 signed in ball-point pen and numbered with a rubber stamp on verso; some dated. There are 26 AP signed and lettered A-Z in ball-point pen on verso.
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Flowers 64 by Andy Warhol is one of the ten screenprints from his 1970 Flowers portfolio. Warhol took a break from images images of consumer objects and celebrities to create this flower series. In this particular print, we see two light blue flowers, one pink flower, and one purple flower, all emerging from the lush grass background. As one of Warhol’s most famous portfolios, the pieces of Flowers are highly sought after by collectors.

Warhol often found inspiration for his works in advertisements and magazines. His Flowers series is based on a photo taken by Patricia Caulfield for Modern Photography magazine in 1964. To create these screenprints, Warhol cropped and inverted the floral image, which allowed him to present the flowers in a number of skewed ways. Caulfield later sued Warhol in 1966 for unauthorized use of her photos. Warhol offered her two full portfolios in exchange, but she demanded a cash settlement and a slice of the royalties. This incident made the artist more cautious of copyright laws, and pushed him to use his own photography as the basis for screenprints.

Other works from this series include the psychedelic and highly saturated Flowers 68, and Flowers 71. Warhol would return to the flowers concept in 1974, creating Flowers (Hand-Colored) and Flowers (Black and White). These two portfolios are reminiscent of the artist’s work from the 1950s, displaying his more traditional painterly skills.

Andy Warhol loved flowers, and once said: “I always notice flowers”. At the time of Flowers 64‘s original creation in 1964, the Flower Power movement was taking shape. Though Warhol was not an active member of the movement, its aesthetics may have influenced him. Henry Geldzahler, curator and friend to Warhol, also inspired Warhol to create the series. He remarked that Warhol’s recent work had been too full of death and tragedy, and that perhaps he should try flowers. Indeed, Warhol’s Death and Disaster series, completed throughout the 1960s, portrayed morbid and contentious subjects. 

As the leader of the Pop Art movement, Warhol is remembered for works like Campbell’s Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe. Flowers 64 is comparably unique, mainly due to the focus on natural beauty and the traditional artistic subject matter. At the time, this new series was unlike the artist’s other productions. Regardless, Flowers is undeniably Pop. The grass background stands out against the bright flower petals to create a visually appealing high-contrast image. Each of the prints from this series contained the same composition, but with a variety of different color pallets and orientations.

Twenty years after showing Flowers, Warhol revisited the subject by creating his Daisy series. The Daisy prints are much more simplified, yet still contain the vibrant composition Warhol is admired for. Fifty-one years after its release, Warhol’s Flowers series remains some of his most notable work. The portfolio stood out among his images of consumerism, showcasing the more delicate side of the artist’s creativity.

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