The Ads Portfolio, created in 1985 near the end of Warhol's career, signifies a return to what initially made him famous in the 1960s, when he transformed images of everyday products into standalone art. In this series, Warhol appropriates bold logos and the familiar visual language of advertising. Despite their capitalist origins, Warhol saw these brands as potential equalizers within society.
“What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same thing as the poorest”
Warhol's development of a unique personal brand, along with the emergence of Pop art, was a response to the prevailing artistic movement of the era: Abstract Expressionism, which emphasized spontaneous gestures and emotional expression in painting. By appropriating and repeating the imagery of everyday products, Warhol's Ads transformed the commonplace advertising visuals of the 20th century into dynamic works of art.
Some of the key symbols in these iconic advertising campaigns have influenced the collective consciousness for centuries, often appearing in major works of art and literature. For example, the Pegasus motif in the Mobilgas logo traces back to Greek mythology, symbolizing fame and artistic inspiration—fittingly for Warhol. The Apple ad draws on the Biblical symbol of original sin and temptation, filled with subtle messages. The inclusion of the Apple ad in this series was no accident; less than a year earlier, Warhol had met a young Steve Jobs at Yoko Ono’s New York apartment. This meeting between two of the most influential figures of 20th-century culture is recorded in Warhol’s diaries.
“[Jobs] gave me a lesson on drawing with [the Apple computer] … I felt so old and out of it with this young whiz guy right there who’d helped invent it”
(Andy Warhol, diary entry for Tuesday 9 October 1984)
The familiar faces in the Ads Portfolio also held personal significance for Warhol, serving as an extension of his portraits of Hollywood icons. James Dean, who tragically died at 24, symbolizes the recurring themes of fame and tragedy in Warhol’s work. Meanwhile, the inclusion of the Blackglama ad reflects Warhol’s lifelong admiration for Judy Garland. Her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz left a lasting impression on a young Warhol, who even wrote fan letters to her. Later in life, after meeting Garland and befriending her daughter Liza Minnelli, Warhol described her as “the greatest actress you could imagine every second of her life."
The inclusion of the Paramount logo in Ads not only showcased Warhol's passion for cinema but also carried deep personal meaning. His partner of five years, Jon Gould, was an executive at Paramount Pictures, and their relationship is frequently mentioned in Warhol's diaries. Gould passed away from AIDS in 1986 at the age of 33, just months before Warhol’s own untimely death. Blending moments from Warhol’s life with significant events in 20th-century history, the Ads serve as a personal and cultural time capsule, hinting at the future rise of some of the world’s most influential brands.
While Warhol’s printmaking often focused on repetition to reflect mass consumption in Western society, he frequently created unique paintings alongside his editioned prints. His Ads series was conceived both as a print portfolio and as a set of ten paintings on canvas, each featuring a distinct color palette. These original paintings followed the silkscreening method typically used in commercial printing. By transferring advertising imagery from printed magazines onto canvas, Warhol blurred the line between commercial and fine art, challenging the traditional definition of painting. His Ads paintings and prints transformed fleeting images from mass media into iconic, era-defining works, preserving them for future generations.
“What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same thing as the poorest”
Warhol's development of a unique personal brand, along with the emergence of Pop art, was a response to the prevailing artistic movement of the era: Abstract Expressionism, which emphasized spontaneous gestures and emotional expression in painting. By appropriating and repeating the imagery of everyday products, Warhol's Ads transformed the commonplace advertising visuals of the 20th century into dynamic works of art.
Some of the key symbols in these iconic advertising campaigns have influenced the collective consciousness for centuries, often appearing in major works of art and literature. For example, the Pegasus motif in the Mobilgas logo traces back to Greek mythology, symbolizing fame and artistic inspiration—fittingly for Warhol. The Apple ad draws on the Biblical symbol of original sin and temptation, filled with subtle messages. The inclusion of the Apple ad in this series was no accident; less than a year earlier, Warhol had met a young Steve Jobs at Yoko Ono’s New York apartment. This meeting between two of the most influential figures of 20th-century culture is recorded in Warhol’s diaries.
“[Jobs] gave me a lesson on drawing with [the Apple computer] … I felt so old and out of it with this young whiz guy right there who’d helped invent it”
(Andy Warhol, diary entry for Tuesday 9 October 1984)
The familiar faces in the Ads Portfolio also held personal significance for Warhol, serving as an extension of his portraits of Hollywood icons. James Dean, who tragically died at 24, symbolizes the recurring themes of fame and tragedy in Warhol’s work. Meanwhile, the inclusion of the Blackglama ad reflects Warhol’s lifelong admiration for Judy Garland. Her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz left a lasting impression on a young Warhol, who even wrote fan letters to her. Later in life, after meeting Garland and befriending her daughter Liza Minnelli, Warhol described her as “the greatest actress you could imagine every second of her life."
The inclusion of the Paramount logo in Ads not only showcased Warhol's passion for cinema but also carried deep personal meaning. His partner of five years, Jon Gould, was an executive at Paramount Pictures, and their relationship is frequently mentioned in Warhol's diaries. Gould passed away from AIDS in 1986 at the age of 33, just months before Warhol’s own untimely death. Blending moments from Warhol’s life with significant events in 20th-century history, the Ads serve as a personal and cultural time capsule, hinting at the future rise of some of the world’s most influential brands.
While Warhol’s printmaking often focused on repetition to reflect mass consumption in Western society, he frequently created unique paintings alongside his editioned prints. His Ads series was conceived both as a print portfolio and as a set of ten paintings on canvas, each featuring a distinct color palette. These original paintings followed the silkscreening method typically used in commercial printing. By transferring advertising imagery from printed magazines onto canvas, Warhol blurred the line between commercial and fine art, challenging the traditional definition of painting. His Ads paintings and prints transformed fleeting images from mass media into iconic, era-defining works, preserving them for future generations.
September 9, 2024
