Lot Essay
In the early 1950s Warhol's pre-pop advertisements and designs caught the attention of the well-known textile designer Eveline Phimister. An artist in her own right, Eveline had established a craft studio in the 1930s and worked for many years in the textile industry holding such titles as designer and design director for many leading companies in the field. Eveline commissioned Warhol to create the ten wonderfully illustrated floral and gem-shaped collage elements (illustrated above) with the intention to reproduce them in patterns on fabric. Due to the technical impossibility at the time of separating the half-tones, the designs were never used towards their commercial end.
These ten gem-shaped images create an atmosphere of wonder and innocence. Through Warhol's hand, fantasy becomes tangible as he offers a glimpse of refined pleasures as if filtered through the eyes of an innocent child.
These ten gem-shaped images create an atmosphere of wonder and innocence. Through Warhol's hand, fantasy becomes tangible as he offers a glimpse of refined pleasures as if filtered through the eyes of an innocent child.