Andy Warhol (1928-1987)
Portrait of Doris Humphrey
1959
Ink on paper
Signed ‘Warhol’ lower right
18.75 x 14.25 in / 47,6 x 36 cm
Unframed

Provenance:
Acquired directly from the Artist
Collection of Henry Wolf, art director of Show Magazine, Esquire, and others
Collection of Herbert Migdoll*, gifted from Henry Wolf

This is one of several ink drawings by Andy Warhol, created for the cover of Dance Magazine, February 1959 issue, featuring an article about Doris Humphrey. This likely was a memorial issue of the Magazine, as Ms. Humphrey had passed away in December, 1958. Doris Humphrey was one of the great figures in the development of modern dance. She was a performer, teacher, and choreographer and along with her contemporary of Martha Graham, was considered to be the one of the founders of American Modern Dance.

Andy Warhol was born and raised in Pittsburgh and after graduating from art school, moved to New York City to pursue a career as a commercial artist. His work first appeared in the 1949 issue of Glamour magazine. An award-winning illustrator throughout the 1950s, his clients included Tiffany & Co., I Miller Shoes, Bonwit Teller, Columbia Records, and Vogue. During this time, Warhol was known for his blotted-line ink drawings, which combines drawing with basic printmaking and enabled him to create a variety of illustrations along a similar theme… as this 1959 ink drawing of Doris Humphrey exemplifies.

* Herbert Migdoll is well known American painter, environmental installation artist, and photographer. He was the principal photographer and design for the Joffrey Ballet for decades. Herbert Migdoll’s archive of Joffrey Ballet photographs is in the collection of the New York Public Library.

Comments: Slight age-toning along edges of paper

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