Kimiko 237 by Andy Warhol features Kimiko Powers, a prominent Japanese art collector. During the twentieth century, Kimiko and her now late husband amassed one of the largest private collections of pop art in the world. Her love for Warhol’s work blossomed into a friendship between the two, where she served as his muse for some of his works of portraiture. This particular print was published to help fundraise for the Visual Arts Program at Colorado State University, which sponsored visiting artists and exhibitions. The print uses abstract colors of blue and pink to highlight the features of the subject in a pop art style.
Kimiko 237 by Andy Warhol as Part of His Larger Body of Work
Popularized in international art circles in the 1960s, Kimiko and her husband accumulated one of the most comprehensive private collections of Pop Art. This perhaps led to her friendship with famous artists such as Warhol. This was also around the time when Warhol began to regularly accept commissions to paint portraits of the rich and famous. This portrait captures Kimiko wearing a traditional Japanese dress glancing at the observer in an intimate manner. It captures the often unexamined bond between the artist and the collector.
Photo credit: Kimiko Powers by Andy Warhol, 1971. Polacolor Type 108, 3 x 3 in. (7.62 x 7.62 cm.) © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
