Name/Title
ManEntry/Object ID
2022.03Description
Figure of a man with only his eyes, mouth, and hair detailed.Context
The collection of works here date from the early to mid 1950s, the period when Warhol was primarily producing illustrations for the shoe manufacturer Israel Miller. Warhol’s colorful designs depict shoes and boots adorned with gold leaf, embossed foil, and decorative cut outs. Beneath each design is scrawled a pithy phrase or aphorism such as à la recerche du shoe perdue, a reference to Marcel Proust’s magnum opus A la recherche du temps perdu. Other works in this collection depict the chic and fashionable city dwellers Warhol would have seen on the streets and at parties upon first moving to New York. Also included are two early artist’s books. A Is an Alphabet is one of the earliest of such works and features verses penned by Warhol’s friend Corkie (Ralph Thomas Ward). The illustrations are based on tracings Warhol made from photographs in magazines. Love is a Pink Cake, also a collaboration with Corkie, is comprised of 25 sheets, each depicting famous lovers and couples and stands out as an early work where Warhol is forthcoming about his own sexuality.Acquisition
Accession
2022.01-08Source or Donor
Judy BlumbergAcquisition Method
GiftCredit Line
Gift of Judith K. BlumbergLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
DrawingNomenclature Class
ArtNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsLOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
Drawing, Portrait drawings, PortraitsDimensions
Height
16-1/4 inWidth
11-1/2 in