£5,000-£7,500Value Indicator
$10,000-$15,000 Value Indicator
$9,000-$13,500 Value Indicator
¥45,000-¥70,000 Value Indicator
€6,000-€9,000 Value Indicator
$50,000-$70,000 Value Indicator
¥960,000-¥1,440,000 Value Indicator
$6,500-$9,500 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 100
Year: 1974
Size: H 76cm x W 51cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
TradingFloor
Watch artwork, manage valuations, track your portfolio and return against your collection
Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
December 2023 | Sotheby's New York | United States | |||
April 2023 | Phillips New York | United States | |||
May 2022 | Bonhams New York | United States | |||
October 2021 | Doyle Auctioneers & Appraisers | United States | |||
May 2021 | Rago | United States | |||
May 2021 | Wright | United States | |||
July 2020 | Phillips New York | United States |
Merce Cunningham I (F. & S. II.124) is a signed screen print on Japanese gift wrapping paper made by the renowned Pop artist, Andy Warhol, in 1974. Coming in an edition size of 100 the print shows Merce Philip Cunningham standing side-on at a slanted angle with a chair behind his back. Cunningham was a famous American dancer and choreographer and is remembered for being at the forefront of American modern dance for over 50 years. Cunningham’s figure is printed against flowery wrapping paper which makes this print stand out from many of Warhol’s other depictions of stars and celebrities which tend to be set against backdrops of bold blocks of colour.
Merce Cunningham I (F. & S. II.124) was published in a portfolio of artworks, Cunningham I, which contained works made by seven artists. The portfolio was published in order to raise funds for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in New York.
The intriguing pose Warhol captures in this print highlights Cunningham’s athletic prowess and the lightness and elegance of his dance movements. There is a stillness to the pose, despite it eliciting motion, which imbues the print with an air of mystery.
Andy Warhol was a leading figure of the Pop Art movement and is often considered the father of Pop Art. Born in 1928, Warhol allowed cultural references of the 20th century to drive his work. From the depiction of glamorous public figures, such as Marilyn Monroe, to the everyday Campbell’s Soup Can, the artist challenged what was considered art by blurring the boundaries between high art and mass consumerism. Warhol's preferred screen printing technique further reiterated his obsession with mass culture, enabling art to be seen as somewhat of a commodity through the reproduced images in multiple colour ways.