United Nations Disaster Relief Organization

In 1979, the United Nations Disaster Relief Organization commissioned and published Andy Warhol’s UN Stamp screenprint. Warhol created the work as part of the UN’s artist initiative, which commissioned artists to create and sell artwork to gain funding for UN projects. Alongside Warhol, renowned artists like Picasso, Salvador Dali, and others were commissioned by the United Nations Disaster Relief Organization to participate in the initiative. Warhol decided to recreate an image of the humble UN stamp, a global symbol of unity. Like so many other artworks, this series displays Warhol’s ability to focus on specific, mundane symbols and objects and transform them into something that reminds us of our ability to appreciate and behold them as works of art.