Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol is a name synonymous with the pop art movement. His work spanned a variety of media and features imagery that is quintessential to modern pop culture. Beginning his career in advertising, Warhol worked in the shoe industry for quite some time before creating some of his most recognizable works. By the 1960s, Warhol had learned the art of silk screen printing, turning out what would become his most famous motif – the Campbell’s Soup Can. Since then he created other silk screen works like the Marilyn Diptych, and even dabbled in the art of photography, film, and sculpture. RR Auction has been the go to place for collectors to find Warhol’s signature avant-garde pieces he is most memorable for – with prices reaching close to $30,000.

Warhol’s affinity for consumerist imagery didn’t stop at Campbell’s soup cans. RR Auction’s top selling Warhol piece – ‘Black Cow on Cereal Box’ – places the image from his iconic cow series onto a flattened Kellogg’s Bran Flakes cereal box. Inspired by the words of art dealer Ivan Karp, Warhol’s ‘Cow Series’ was made up of four variations – ‘Pink Cow on Yellow Background,’ ‘Brown Cow on Blue Background,’ ‘Yellow Cow on Blue Background,’ and ‘Pink Cow on Purple Background.’ This particular cereal box variant was a one-of-a-kind print inscribed to Yelitza Karolyi, an old friend of the pop artist who worked as a model in the 1970s and 80s. Though originally estimated for $8,000, our consignor was impressed with RR Auction’s final price of $28,554.

Looking towards more recent results, RR Auction’s Fine Autographs and Artifacts auctions always boast a wide variety of memorabilia from every corner of history. In May 2023, RR Auction brought a signed print of one of Warhol Campbell’s tomato soup prints to the auction block for an exceptional $22,390. This variant of Warhol’s soup can is much more vibrant and colorful than the original work, and was originally obtained at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The reverse bears an annotation of provenance in pencil, “Obtained by employee of Baltimore Art Museum while Warhol there on book signing. This was a custom made flyer for his appearance…The staff member took this off the wall & had Warhol sign it. She stated very few were signed of this unique poster.”

With prices for Andy Warhol memorabilia on the rise, RR Auction is here to help you get the best possible price for your Warhol rarities. If you have pieces you think would be a good fit for RR Auction, consider hitting the consign button down below or giving us a call at 800-937-3880.