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Lot Essay
Warhol's Factory was a space for constant experimentation and collaboration. Rupert Jansen Smith became Warhol's printer in 1977 and continued as his primary printer until Warhol's death in 1987. His influence can be traced from Warhol's use of materials to the overall composition of his prints, including Smith's first project with Warhol: the Hammer and Sickle screenprint series.
Hammer and Sickle (Special Edition) is Warhol's only published print series that illustrates the breakdown of the printmaking process. Each plate illustrates an additional screen in the image, showing the transition of the composition from its most basic form to the complete "finished" screenprint. The context of the prints is not purely about the medium of printmaking, as the subject matter of set turns the tradition paradigm of Pop Art on its head. Instead of the classic American iconography of the flag or the Coke can, Warhol fetishizes communist symbols at the height of the Cold War. In Hammer and Sickle (Special Edition) the image is no longer the central focus as it is literally and figuratively a construction, allowing Warhol to celebrate his presentation and process in their most raw form.
Hammer and Sickle (Special Edition) is Warhol's only published print series that illustrates the breakdown of the printmaking process. Each plate illustrates an additional screen in the image, showing the transition of the composition from its most basic form to the complete "finished" screenprint. The context of the prints is not purely about the medium of printmaking, as the subject matter of set turns the tradition paradigm of Pop Art on its head. Instead of the classic American iconography of the flag or the Coke can, Warhol fetishizes communist symbols at the height of the Cold War. In Hammer and Sickle (Special Edition) the image is no longer the central focus as it is literally and figuratively a construction, allowing Warhol to celebrate his presentation and process in their most raw form.