George Gershwin 231 by Andy Warhol is a 1980 screenprint from the artist’s Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century portfolio. The portrait divides Gershwin’s face into four vibrant color fields—red, green, violet, and tan—creating a rhythmic composition reminiscent of musical harmony. His profile is rendered in clean, elegant linework, while layers of energetic scribbles add texture and motion. The result feels like a visual symphony, fusing the lyrical energy of Gershwin’s music with Warhol’s unmistakable Pop Art aesthetic.
Warhol’s Tribute to a Musical Innovator
George Gershwin was one of the most influential American composers and pianists of the twentieth century. Born in Brooklyn in 1898, he rose to fame through works that bridged classical composition and jazz improvisation. His groundbreaking 1935 opera Porgy and Bess—featuring a predominantly African American cast—challenged artistic conventions and remains one of America’s great musical achievements. Masterpieces such as Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris captured the rhythm and optimism of modern life, while his collaborations with his brother Ira on Broadway and in Hollywood revealed a genius for melody and storytelling. Though his life was tragically short, Gershwin’s legacy continues to shape American music.
Warhol’s George Gershwin 231 transforms the composer into a Pop Art icon. The profile view, marked by bold color blocks and layered line drawings, conveys both sophistication and creative energy. His forward gaze suggests innovation—a fitting reflection of a man who pushed the boundaries of genre and style. Warhol elevates Gershwin to the same cultural plane as Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, celebrating him as an emblem of artistic brilliance and American identity.
George Gershwin 231 in Warhol’s Larger Body of Work
Among the “Jewish geniuses” featured in Warhol’s series, Gershwin holds a special place. He shares an unexpected connection with another of Warhol’s muses, Mick Jagger. Warhol designed album covers for the Rolling Stones, including the now-iconic Sticky Fingers. His link to Gershwin stretches back even further, to the 1950s, when Warhol worked as a commercial illustrator. During that period, he created the artwork for two Gershwin records, Porgy and Bess and Rhapsody in Blue. This intersection of art and music underscores Warhol’s lifelong fascination with cultural icons and creative innovation.
Through George Gershwin 231, Warhol celebrates a figure who, like himself, blurred the boundaries between high and popular art. Gershwin’s synthesis of jazz and classical music mirrors Warhol’s fusion of fine art and mass media. Together, they shaped the cultural language of modern America.
Photo Credit: Andy Warhol with some of his works, December 15, 1980. (Getty Images/Susan Greenwood/Liaison Agency)
