The Witch 261 by Andy Warhol is a 1981 screenprint from his celebrated Myths portfolio. The print depicts the Wicked Witch of the West—her skin an eerie green, her grin sharp and gleeful beneath a pointed black hat. Against a smooth purple background, Warhol outlines her in electric red and green. This creates a contrast that feels both theatrical and menacing. The composition is finished with diamond dust, which adds a strange shimmer. It is as if glamour itself had been cast as a spell.
Revisiting Hollywood’s Most Iconic Witch
Unlike other works in the Myths portfolio, where Warhol asked friends and acquaintances to pose as fictional characters—such as Uncle Sam, Dracula, or even his own image as The Shadow—this print is rooted in authenticity. Warhol invited Margaret Hamilton, the original actress from The Wizard of Oz (1939), to recreate her famous role for a new Polaroid session at The Factory. He then transformed those photographs into the foundation for The Witch 261. As a result, the work captures not only the cinematic legacy of the character. It also evokes the nostalgia and menace that made her unforgettable.
Hamilton’s expressive pose, lips curled into a cackle, sets this piece apart from the subdued portraits of The Star or Mammy. Warhol’s layered outlines animate her face and heighten the sense of magic and danger. Through bold color and sharp contrast, he brings both fear and fascination to the surface—qualities that have long defined Hollywood’s mythology.
The Witch 261 in Warhol’s Exploration of Myth and Identity
The Myths series presents ten archetypes of American imagination: heroes, villains, and dream figures drawn from the collective unconscious of pop culture. Each figure reflects a fragment of Warhol’s self-image, refracted through the lens of mass media. While The Star and Superman symbolize beauty and strength, The Witch embodies transformation and power. As a dramatic sorcerer who commands flying monkeys and fears water, she is both grotesque and glamorous—a contradiction Warhol found irresistible.
Moreover, scholars often view the Myths portfolio as an introspective project. Warhol himself said little about his choices, yet each selection feels intentional. Just as the Witch’s laugh combines humor and menace, the print mirrors Warhol’s complex relationship to fame, performance, and fear. Beneath its glittering surface, The Witch 261 explores the tension between artifice and authenticity, myth and identity. This tension was an enduring theme that defined much of Warhol’s career.
Photo Credits:
- Postcard for Andy Warhol: Myths, 1981, an exhibition at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts. Featuring Warhol and Margaret Hamilton at The Factory.
- Andy Warhol at R. Feldman Gallery with Myths, 1981. Photo © Robert Levin.
