Myths (Warhol)
1981 series of ten paintings by Andy Warhol
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Myths is a 1981 series of ten silkscreen prints by American Pop artist Andy Warhol. The portraits feature popular characters from 20th-century film, television, comics, and folklore. Rendered in vivid colors with diamond-dust accents, the portfolio marked Warhol’s first print series devoted entirely to fictional and mythic figures, echoing his early 1960s comic-strip paintings.[1] In addition to the editioned prints, Warhol also produced silkscreen paintings on canvas based on the series.[2][3]
| Myths | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist | Andy Warhol |
| Year | 1981 |
| Medium | Screenprint with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board |
| Movement | Pop Art |
Copyright and licensing
Warhol began working on the Myths series in October 1980, a project that was commissioned by gallerist Ronald Feldman.[4][5] Warhol and publisher Feldman navigated extensive copyright and trademark negotiations to secure rights for iconic American characters, including Superman, Mickey Mouse, Dracula, Santa Claus, and Greta Garbo.[6] Permissions were obtained from companies such as The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., while actress Margaret Hamilton agreed to pose as the Wicked Witch of the West in exchange for special prints rather than payment.[6]
Some proposed images proved more contentious. Quaker Oats Company threatened legal action when Warhol sought to use Aunt Jemima, prompting Warhol and Feldman to instead create Mammy, modeled by singer Sylvia Williams and inspired by the stereotype popularized in Gone with the Wind.[6] Warhol also abandoned plans to use the Coca-Cola Santa Claus illustration after permission was denied by artist Haddon Sundblom's estate.[6]
Warhol’s Mickey Mouse became one of the portfolio's most notable works. Disney granted permission after negotiations with company attorney Pete Smith, allowing Warhol to use archival Mickey imagery in exchange for a fee, special prints, and an agreement not to depict the character in a sexualized or derogatory way.[6] Warhol and Feldman retained shared rights to the resulting images, although Disney maintained approval over commercial uses outside Warhol's own promotion.[6] Feldman later remarked that "Disney gave up a 50 percent interest in Mickey Mouse in whatever images Andy made."[6] In 1983, The Walt Disney Company featured Warhol's Mickey Mouse on the cover of a special anniversary supplement in Life magazine.[6]
Subjects
The subjects depicted in the series are:[7]
- Dracula
- Howdy Doody
- Mammy
- Mickey Mouse
- Santa Claus
- Superman
- The Shadow (Andy Warhol)
- The Star (Greta Garbo as Mata Hari)
- The Witch (Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch)
- Uncle Sam
Exhibitions
The Myths series was first exhibited at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Downtown in New York City in September 1981.[8]
In October 1981, Myths was on view at the NorthPark National Bank art gallery in Dallas, presented together with a three-print study of boxer Muhammad Ali and Warhol’s early Campbell's Soup Cans works.[9]
Weinstock's department store in Sacramento incorporated Myths into its holiday promotion, displaying the serigraphs in-store and granting an art scholarship in Warhol's name to the University of California, Davis.[10] Weinstock commissioned Warhol to create work for the cover of its 1981 Christmas magazine, The Art of Giving, which featured his Santa Claus serigraph from the Myths portfolio.[11] The print later became part of the store's permanent collection. Warhol traveled to San Francisco in November 1981, where he appeared at the store to sign reproductions from the Myths series.[12]
In 1982, Myths was exhibited at the Reconnaissance Gallery in Fitzroy, Victoria.[13]
In May 1988, the Pittsburgh Children's Museum opened the Andy Warhol Myths gallery, featuring Warhol's Myths series, which were acquired for the museum's permanent collection, and a hands-on silkscreening studio.[14]
Critical reception
Art critic Robert Rooney wrote for The Age: "'Myths' is essentially a slick, commercial package that combines the marketing expertise of its publisher Ronald Feldman and Warhol's habit of never saying no to any suggestion. Considered as such, the series works well with some reservations. … The 10 prints are immaculately printed and carefully color coordinated, particularly in 'Dracula' and 'Mammy' where close tones and black-on-black are used with subtlety. … If you prefer Warhol's classic icons of the 60s, with their clogged screens and other processed accidents, you will probably be repelled by the slickness of the Myths."[13]
Art market
In 1981, Weinstock's department store offered its customers a set for $15,000 or individual serigraphs for $1,500.[11]
In October 2018, a suite of 10 screenprints from the Myths portfolio sold for $780,500 at Christie's in New York.[15]
In February 2025, individual paintings from a set were sold for a total of $832,900 at Christie's online "Andy Warhol Myths" single-artist auction.[16][7]