Warhol's signature on the front of the Speed Skater 303 trial proof print
Speed Skater 303 Trial Proof framed
Speed Skater 303 Trial Proof hanging at Revolver Gallery
Andy Warhol - Speed Skater 303

Speed Skater 303 (Trial Proof)

Catalog Title: Speed Skater (FS II.303) (Trial Proof)
Year: 1983
Size: 33.5” x 25.5” | 85.1 x 64.8 cm
Medium: Screenprint on Arches 88 paper
Edition: Edition of 150. Signed and numbered in Roman numerals in pencil 15 TP on Arches Aquarelle (Cold Pressed) paper and Arches 88 paper, 34 1/8 x 24 1/2”; 15 TP lettered TP A/O - O/O on Arches Aquarelle (cold Pressed) paper and Arches 88 paper, 40 5/8 x 26”; 6 TP numbered in Roman numerals on Arches 88 paper, 40 5/8 x 29 1/4”.
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The Speed Skater 303 (Trial Proof) was created by Andy Warhol in honor of the 1984 Olympic Winter Games. After the print was completed, the image was made into a poster that was seen all over Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, where the Olympic Games were being held. By layering different colors on top of each other, Warhol is able to form a black square from which the skater seems to be skating away. This style of coloring, as well as Warhol’s use of line on the skater ultimately creates a sense of depth and motion. This skater appears to be skating out of the layered colors, in motion indefinitely.

Speed Skater 303 by Andy Warhol as Part of His Larger Body of Work

This print was originally published in the portfolio Art and Sports, which contained works by seventeen artists. This was the official art portfolio of the XIV Olympic Winter Games. Although Warhol wasn’t a sports enthusiast, he was fascinated by the fame that athletes acquired. He recalled: “I really got to love the athletes because they are the really big stars.” In addition to Speed Skater 303, Warhol made prints and portfolios of famous athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky and Merce Cunningham.

Photo: James Rosenquist, Lazo Vujić, and Andy Warhol during the promotion of the Olympic portfolio in New York in the ABC’s gallery in 1984.

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