Hammer and Sickle (Special Edition) FS II.168 is the fourth screenprint in Andy Warhol’s seven-part *Special Edition* portfolio, created to dissect the screenprinting process behind his final work *Hammer and Sickle*, FS II.164. This print introduces the deep, inky black background—marking the fourth layer in the printing sequence and playing a crucial role in defining the overall composition.

The portfolio traces its conceptual roots to Warhol’s 1976 trip to Italy, where he encountered the hammer and sickle symbol emblazoned as graffiti throughout the country. While politically charged, Warhol viewed the symbol not through an ideological lens, but as a visually compelling icon whose repetition and mass exposure lent it cultural weight. He was less concerned with what the hammer and sickle *stood for*—a wave of communist sentiment rising in the 1970s—and more interested in its form, its recurrence, and its resonance within visual culture.

To create the source imagery, Warhol turned to his assistant, Ronnie Cutrone, who photographed an actual hammer and sickle purchased from a hardware store. Warhol rejected traditional depictions of the symbol as too flat and impersonal, favoring Cutrone’s staged photographs as dynamic, real-world references. From these images, Warhol constructed each screenprint in the *Special Edition* portfolio as a step-by-step visual breakdown, isolating the individual layers of color and line that ultimately form the full picture.

Hammer and Sickle 168 captures the dramatic impact of the black background, which anchors the image and brings the previous layers of color into sharper focus. This print emphasizes Warhol’s methodical layering process while also hinting at the symbolic weight the background color carries—evoking mystery, depth, and the ideological shadows that loom behind the symbol.

Created in 1977, this work is a screenprint on Strathmore Bristol paper, hand-signed by Andy Warhol in pencil at the lower center and numbered from an extremely limited edition of just 10. As part of the Special Edition portfolio, it offers rare insight into Warhol’s technical precision and conceptual strategy, highlighting his ability to deconstruct cultural icons and reconstruct them within the framework of Pop Art.

For more information on Warhol’s Hammer and Sickle (Special Edition), FS II.168 or to buy Hammer and Sickle (Special Edition), FS II.168, contact our galleries using the form below.