Birmingham Race Riot (F.S.II 3) is a screen print by Andy Warhol that was published in 1964 as part of a portfolio entitled X + X (Ten Works by Ten Painters). As an early print by Warhol, this image shows his source material to be largely unaltered, simply enlarged, reversed and left as a stark image in black ink against white paper. The original photograph was taken from a photo-essay by the photographer Charles Moore published in 1963 in Life magazine about police dogs attacking civil rights demonstrators in Birmingham, Alabama.

From the early 1960s, Warhol began to depict menacing themes of disaster and conflict and these themes are exemplified in his Death and Disaster series from 1963 where the Birmingham Race Riot first appeared. Despite denying any political ties in his work, this image is evidence of a strong reaction to social and political issues of the civil rights movement. Using a single image from mass-media culture and repeating it several times, Warhol memorialises the political tensions that existed in America at the time, and critically illustrates the detachment of fine art from such events.

Recalling the quality and tone of the original photographic source, Warhol’s print is flattened by high contrasts that makes the image difficult to decipher. The image has also been cropped to abruptly cut off some figures in the crowded scene, thus producing an urgent and frenzied atmosphere.

Andy Warhol was a leading figure of the Pop Art movement and is often considered the father of Pop Art. Born in 1928, Warhol allowed cultural references of the 20th century to drive his work. From the depiction of glamorous public figures, such as Marilyn Monroe, to the everyday Campbell’s Soup Can, the artist challenged what was considered art by blurring the boundaries between high art and mass consumerism. Warhol's preferred screen printing technique further reiterated his obsession with mass culture, enabling art to be seen as somewhat of a commodity through the reproduced images in multiple colour ways.

e inevitable cycle of life and the enduring significance of symbols that transcend time and culture.