ANDY WARHOL (1928–1987)

Neuschwanstein1987

Offset lithographic poster with screenprint in colours, executed in 1987 on Varick Rag paper, with the printer's blindstamp, the full sheet printed to the edges, stamped signature, and annotated "MISC 03.1327" in pencil on the reverse by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Printed by

Rupert Jasen Smith, New York

Published by

Co-published by Edition Schellmann, Munich & New York, and Verlag Sabine Knust, Munich

Dimensions

Sheet: 90.8 × 62 cm (35¾ × 24⅜ in.)

Literature

Frayda Feldman & Jörg Schellmann, Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné 1962–1987, No. 372.

Andy Warhol: Editions 1962–1987, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1989.

Condition

In very good condition.

Catalogue Note

Created in 1987, Neuschwanstein is one of the final prints produced by Andy Warhol before his untimely death later that year. Published only weeks before the artist's passing, it forms part of his celebrated late series depicting historic monuments and cultural landmarks, demonstrating his continuing fascination with iconic imagery and the ways in which history, architecture and popular culture intersect.

The image portrays the spectacular Neuschwanstein Castle, perched dramatically above the Bavarian village of Hohenschwangau in southern Germany. Commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria during the nineteenth century, the romantic Neo-Romanesque palace has become one of the world's most recognisable castles and is widely regarded as the inspiration for Disney's fairytale castle. Combining historical grandeur with mythic associations, the building provided Warhol with an ideal subject through which to explore ideas of fantasy, spectacle and cultural identity.

The print was commissioned to commemorate the centenary of the Bavarian Reinsurance Company in Munich and exemplifies Warhol's remarkable ability to transform familiar images into powerful works of contemporary art. Using his characteristic combination of screenprinting and offset lithography, Warhol overlays the architectural image with brilliant, unexpected colour, dissolving the boundary between documentary representation and artistic invention. The result is an image that is simultaneously recognisable and dreamlike, reflecting Warhol's lifelong interest in the construction of modern icons.

Printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, Warhol's long-standing master printer, and co-published by Edition Schellmann and Verlag Sabine Knust, Neuschwanstein represents one of the finest examples of the artist's late graphic production. The sophisticated printing process preserves the vivid colour relationships and crisp graphic quality that distinguish Warhol's mature editions.

This impression is further enhanced by the inventory annotation applied by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts on the reverse, confirming its inclusion within the Foundation's catalogue following the artist's death. Such Foundation inventory markings have become an important point of reference for collectors and scholars when tracing the history of Warhol's editioned works.

Executed during the final year of Warhol's life, Neuschwanstein stands as both a celebration of one of Europe's most famous architectural monuments and a poignant testament to the extraordinary creativity that continued to define the artist's work until the very end of his career.