Andy Warhol Man Ray 1974

Andy Warhol

Portrait of Man Ray Lithograph for Galleria Il Fauno, signed

This poster is for an exhibition of Warhol’s work in 1974 at the Galleria Il Fauno in Milan. It features a portrait of the American photographer and Dada artist, Man Ray. In the early 1970s Warhol began to accept regular commissions to paint the portraits of the rich and famous. However, as well as commissions, he also painted a number of portraits of people he admired, especially other artists. Man Ray was one of his heroes, so much so that, when he could afford it, Warhol acquired a number of his photographs, paintings and early books. This image is based on a Polaroid photograph he took of him, cigar in mouth, in 1973. As with the portraits of his mother and other people he felt close to, these portraits of Man Ray are among the most painterly and heavily-worked Warhol ever painted.