Andy Warhol 1928-1987
Printed to the full sheet
Framed: 119.5 x 119.5 x 3 cm; 47 x 47 x 1 1/8 in
Further images
In
‘Martha Graham. Letter to the World. The Kick’, Andy Warhol captures the grace,
dynamism, and emotional intensity of modern dance pioneer Martha Graham. Part
of Warhol’s 1986 series dedicated to Graham, the work translates the dancer’s
movement into vivid, electric lines that suggest both motion and rhythm.
Warhol, who frequently explored the intersection of celebrity, art, and
performance, here elevates Graham to the level of his iconic cultural figures,
from Marilyn Monroe to Mao.
The composition references Barbara Morgan’s celebrated 1940 photograph
of Graham in her ballet Letter to the World (see right), itself inspired by the
life and poetry of Emily Dickinson. Warhol abstracts the figure through
expressive linear contours in blue, green, yellow, and pink, creating a sense
of kinetic energy that dissolves the boundary between dancer and space. The result
is a work that fuses photography, choreography, and Pop sensibility, a tribute
to movement rendered still, yet alive with gesture.
Created in the final years
of Warhol’s career, this print exemplifies his late style: gestural,
experimental, and deeply engaged with the reinterpretation of icons. The Martha
Graham series was commissioned by the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance
to commemorate the artist’s 62nd season, underscoring Warhol’s enduring
dialogue with performance and the myth of the modern artist.
Provenance
From the Artist's Estate (with the blindstamp verso).Private Collection, USA.
Phillips, New York, 2011.
Private Collection, Germany.