Andy Warhol Alexander the Great Original 1983 Alexander Iolas Athens Exhibition Poster

Description

19.25”W x 27.25”H Very good condition, Lithograph in colors on fine matte textured paper, Unframed

This extremely rare and collectible … more 19.25”W x 27.25”H Very good condition, Lithograph in colors on fine matte textured paper, Unframed

This extremely rare and collectible vintage poster was produced in a limited, unnumbered edition on the occasion of Andy Warhol’s exhibition in Athens in 1983, organized and curated by the maverick art dealer Alexander Iolas. A fascinating figure and passionate art lover, Iolas is now regarded as one of the pioneers of the contemporary art world. He ran influential galleries in New York, Paris, Geneva, Madrid, Milan and Athens from the 1950s –1980s, forging deep personal connections with artists, collectors and fellow gallerists. He was a lifelong friend and champion of Andy Warhol, having met the young commercial illustrator just as he was beginning his career in New York in the late 1940s. By 1952 he hosted Andy Warhol’s first ever art gallery show: “Fifteen Drawings Based On The Writings Of Truman Capote”. Iolas was the one who commissioned the artwork featured on this poster: a portrait of Alexander the Great, produced to coincide with the 1982 Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition, The Search for Alexander. To create the work Andy Warhol appropriated a photograph of a Hellenistic bronze bust of Alexander the Great and re-imagined the classical image in his unique aesthetic as a pop celebrity portrait with bold, saturated colors and graphic lines set against a striking blood-red background. This high quality print captures the three dimensional effect and bronze material of the bust with great fidelity to Warhol’s original.

This original vintage poster is a special collectible due to its exceptional rarity, subject matter, high quality, and also because it recalls the lifelong friendship between Alexander Iolas and Andy Warhol. Additionally, this particular one has a very notable provenance, having been acquired from the estate of Fred Hughes. less