Andy Warhol: Ads Portfolio (1985)

One of the last portfolios made before his death in 1987, Andy Warhol’s Ads embodies the artist’s fascination with American consumerism and commercialization, while delivering it in his signature Pop aesthetic. The iconic series depicts product and film advertisements, original logos, and famous trademarks; all from the 1950s and 1960s, when Warhol began his career as an advertising designer. Like Myths (1981), Ads represents Warhol’s understanding of the role that iconic images – be it people, logos, or brands – played in consumerism. Advertisements for Lifesavers, Apple, and Van Heusen (featuring Ronald Regan) became works of art in Warhol’s portfolio. The ten screenprints, which also include Mobil Gas, Paramount, Volkswagen, Blackglama (with Judy Garland), The New Spirit (with Donald Duck), Chanel, and Rebel Without a Cause (with James Deen) were printed on Lenox Museum Board by Rupert Jasen Smith and Published by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc.