From his 1985 Ads portfolio, Volkswagen 358 is a screenprint created by Andy Warhol features an ad for a Volkswagen car. Warhol portrays the iconic car in a vibrant green and yellow against a dark purple background that emphasizes the iconism of the ad and the car itself. In his Ads series, Warhol explores how these widely recognized emblems, trademarks and logos have become symbolic to the American consumer. Volkswagen recently reproduced their iconic Beetle ad with their new electric van, suggesting, like Warhol, that their advertising is timeless. Warhol’s inclusion of the German car among his other Ads prints is an interesting choice, as the reception of the Volkswagen Beetle in the United States was initially divisive.
Volkswagen 358 by Andy Warhol as Part of His Larger Body of Work
The Ads series contains images ranging from the Mobil Gas logo to Judy Garland as a spokeswoman for Blackglama Furs. Along with his obsession with celebrity, Warhol took great interest in the role of advertisements in consumerism and the extent to which the title of celebrity may be associated with a product. The series was created towards the end of his life, as he looked back on the images that inspired him and the themes that remained prominent throughout his career.
