Andy Warhol, Karen Kain (FS.II 236) is a vibrant screenprint based on a photograph of the celebrated Canadian ballet dancer Karen Kain. A graduate of the National Ballet School of Canada and later its artistic director, Kain became an international icon in the world of dance—captivating both audiences and Warhol himself. The portrait, created in 1980, overlays her image with vivid blocks of yellow, orange, purple, and blue, giving the work a dynamic, collage-like effect. While these bold, abstract colors dominate the surrounding space, Warhol maintains a more naturalistic skin tone at the center of the composition, drawing attention to the dancer’s striking facial features. This interplay of color and linework emphasizes her intense gaze and strong presence, merging realism with Pop Art abstraction.

Karen Kain (FS.II 236) is a colored screenprint embellished with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board, part of Warhol’s ongoing exploration of celebrity and iconography. Created from a Polaroid taken by Warhol at his legendary studio, The Factory, the portrait reflects his fascination with famous figures who, like Kain, commanded public admiration and embodied a certain cultural glamour. Though Kain initially took years to fully embrace the portrait, she later grew fond of it—and today, the piece hangs proudly in her dining room.

As with many of Warhol’s celebrity portraits, Karen Kain (FS. II 236) blurs the lines between fine art, fashion, and fame. It stands as both a tribute to a distinguished dancer and a continuation of Warhol’s commentary on beauty, persona, and the enduring power of image.