Lenin Trial Print 402 by Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol - Lenin F.S. II 402 TP stock jpg
Andy Warhol Black Lenin Trial Proof 402B

Lenin 402 (Trial Proof)

Catalog Title: Lenin (FS IIB.402)
Year: 1987
Size: 39 3/8” x 29 1/2”
Medium: Screenprint on Arches 88 paper.
Edition: 120, 24 AP, 6 PP, 10 HC, signed and numbered in pencil lower left.
Hidden

Lenin 402 (Trial Proof) was Andy Warhol’s portrait of Vladimir Lenin, the political leader of Russia. Lenin was known as the father of Russia’s communist revolution. The portrait of Lenin is primarily blue and less defined to emphasize Lenin’s famous face and hand in orange. His body blends in with the blue background, allowing his face and hand to stand out. With this print, Warhol emphasizes the intelligence and power of the political leader.

Lenin 402 (Trial Proof) by Andy Warhol as Part of his Larger Body of Work

Warhol demonstrates the diversity of his subject matters as he reaches out beyond the realm of Hollywood celebrities, socialites, rock stars and wildly popular household items and explores a more daring subject — politics. By doing so, we are confronted with an ambiguously conflicting thought: Did Warhol choose a political figure as his focus to bring depth to his portfolio of motifs, or did he take the depth out of politics by choosing this subject matter to exist next to the ubiquitous images of soup cans, dollar signs and flowers? In fact, Warhol was deeply fascinated by political figures, regardless of how they are perceived. In addition to his Lenin portfolio, Warhol created prints of leaders such as Mao Zedong, Alexander the Great and John F. Kennedy.

Photo credit: Andy Warhol in front of the Lenin works at his Factory, February 1987. Copyright Galerie Klüser.

Share this page:

Related Works