Art Kane (1925–1995)

In 1962 Art Kane, at the time a remarkably young art director in New York, photographed artist Andy Warhol gilded in metallic spray-paint from the neck up in exchange for a drawing of Kane made by Warhol. Kane's final photograph, a variation of the present lot, and Warhol's drawing, appeared together in an advertising campaign insert for Champions Paper, in a perfect exposition of both artists' daft traversals between commerce and fine arts. In 1962 Warhol abandoned his career as a commercial designer and embarked upon a new role as a prominent Pop Art figure. This collaborative advertising campaign included written descriptions of each artist, written by the other. Here, Kane wrote of Warhol, 'I think of Andy as a Greek from the 4th century B.C. He's as classic as the gold paint he prefers to use'.