Fact sheet AWA - Mick Jagger (F&S II.139)

Andy Warhol
Mick Jagger (1975) (FS II.139)
Silkscreen on Arches Aquarelle
74 x 110 cm
Edition of 250
Signed by Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger

Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger met at a party in 1964 when the Rolling Stones
were on their first US tour. At this time both were rising to fame and establishing
their image. The Rolling Stones were viewed as the dirty alternative to the clean
cut Beatles and art collectors may have viewed Andy Warhol in a similar way
compared to other artists at the time such as Jasper Johns and Tom Wesselmann.
Their relationships grew over the years and they attended many lavish rock star
parties together.
In the summer of 1975 whilst Mick and his wife Bianca were staying at Andy’s
house in Mautauk, Andy took photographs of Mick all of which were head and
bare-chested shots, Andy wanted to capture different emotions with Jagger
playing up to the camera, he particularly liked Jagger’s photogenic ‘Bad-boy’
image.
Back in the studio Andy created a series of 10 portraits of Mick Jagger as screen
prints using the photographs he had taken. He added hand drawn stylized lines
and incorporated blocks of irregularly shaped colour, which although printed,
appear like collaged fragments of coloured paper. These works were more
expressive than his earlier screen-prints and the abstract quality of the blocks of
colour show the development of Warhol's interest in more non-representational
art that was emerging in the 1970’s.
These pieces are rare as they feature not only the signature of the artist, but also
that of the sitter. Also, very few of the subjects of Warhol’s works are still living.