Lillian Carter was the mother of United States President Jimmy Carter. Lillian Carter 153 is one of the rarest Warhol impressions, as it is the only impression signed by both Warhol and Lillian from the personal collection of Fred Hughes, who was the executor of the Warhol estate. This particular work was also published to raise funds for the Jimmy Carter campaign for the president. The print is uniquely abstract, with Lillian Carter’s features obscured by outlining and surreal color blocking; she is almost unrecognizable without her Jimmy Carter pin.
Warhol’s Lilian Carter was printed by Gem Screens in New York, and published by the Democratic National Committee in Washington, DC.
Lillian Carter 153 by Andy Warhol as Part of His Larger Body of Work
Warhol was fascinated by the ambiguous boundaries between politics and the realm of the star-studded. As a result, he contributed his own interpretation by mixing the two seemingly disparate realms. He instilled a sense of celebrity into his portraits, including those of politicians such as Lillian Carter’s son, Jimmy Carter. By adding bright colors and graphic elements, he beautified the facial features so as to bring stardom and publicity into political campaigns. Although Warhol is best-known for his large-scale screenprints, Warhol was also a revered photographer who collected images from mass media sources throughout his early career. This piece remained in Hughes’ personal collection until his death in 2001.
Photo credit: Andy Warhol Lillian Carter in 1977 at Studio 54. Photo by Adam Scull.
