Andy Warhol: Seven Illustrated Books 1952-1959 — Edited by Nina Schleif & Reuel Golden

I love Andy Warhol's drawings — the whimsy, the playfulness and the humor always make me smile. This very special collection makes me smiles for days!

In 1950s New York, before Andy Warhol became one of the most famous names of the 20th century, he was a skilled and successful commercial artist. During this time, as part of his strategy to woo clients and forge friendships, Warhol created seven hand-drawn artist’s books, reserved for his most valued contacts.

These handmade books featured personal, unique drawings and quirky texts revealing his fondness for — among other subjects — cats, food, myths, shoes, beautiful boys, and gorgeous girls

Decades later, these sought-after originals are now changing hands for lots of money at auctions. But now, premier publisher TASCHEN presents an XL-sized volume containing meticulous reprints of all seven of these books.

With titles such as Love Is a Pink Cake, 25 Cats Named Sam, and À la Recherche du Shoe Perdu, the series reveals the artist’s off-the-wall character, as well as his accomplished draftsmanship, boundless creativity, and innuendo-laced humor.

This special book makes delightful play with styles and genres, including A Is for Alphabet, which devotes a page to each letter of the alphabet, with illustrations complemented by stumbling three-line verses that tell of strange encounters between man and animal. Wild Raspberries is a spoof cookbook with a cornucopia of adventurous recipes and illustrations.

This generously sized volume also includes introductions for each of Warhol’s illustrations. Complete with rarely seen photographs of the artist, inspirational ephemera, and commercial assignments, these photos contextualize Warhol’s 1950s art, offering a glimpse into his early creative process as well as his endearing, playful character.

Little-known, much-coveted jewels in the Warhol's Pop Art-master crown, these hand-drawn delights are as appealing and original today as they were back in the halcyon days of the 1950s. This special collection of them all truly offers an unparalleled, smile-inducing view of a budding genius on the cusp of global fame. 

Such a great gift!

THE DETAILS

FORMAT: New, Hardback, Multilingual edition

ISBN: 9783836592581

PUBLISHER: TASCHEN

PUBLISHED: August 7, 2023

PAGES: 288

DIMENSIONS: 13.7" inches H x 10.2" inches W x 1.4" inches T 

RATING: ★★★★★

ABOUT THE EDITORS

Nina Schleif is a German art historian, Americanist, and curator. In 2013, she initiated and curated the first exhibition anywhere on Andy Warhol’s oeuvre in books at Museum Brandhorst in Munich. She also edited and coauthored the exhibition catalog Reading Andy Warhol. 

Reuel Golden is the former editor of the British Journal of Photography and the Photography editor at TASCHEN. His TASCHEN titles include: Mick Rock: The Rise of David Bowie, both London and New York Portrait of a City books, The Rolling Stones, Her Majesty, the National Geographic editions, the David Bailey SUMO and Andy Warhol. Polaroids.