Andy WARHOL - African Elephant (FS II.293)

AFRICAN ELEPHANT 293
African Elephant 293 is part of Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species portfolio.

AFRICAN ELEPHANT 293 AS PART OF ANDY WARHOL’S LARGER BODY OF WORK
In 1983 Warhol was commissioned by his friend and publisher Ron Feldman and his wife Freyda to create the series of 10 endangered species. Both Freyda and Ronald were celebrated political activists who were very active philanthropists. In 1983, they asked Warhol, who was a friend, to create a portfolio of ten endangered species to raise environmental consciousness. Warhol fondly referred to this series as his “animals in makeup,” given the bold pop colors he implemented to portray the animals as larger than life, like the African Elephant FS II293 print. Other animals featured in the series include the Pine Barrens Tree Frog, the Bald Eagle and the Siberian Tiger.

In 1986, Warhol was commissioned again to do a series of animals in danger of extinction, this time it was illustrations for a book detailing the animals’ backgrounds and what kind of impact their extinction would have on our livelihood.