Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

“At the time, the symbol of the dreaded world power, the Soviet Union, was the most conspicuous graffito on buildings in Rome and Milan and wealthy Italians were frequently not averse to sympathizing with the Communist idea. Moreover, the two-dimensional graphic sign boldly competed with the signal impact of the quintessential emblem of American consumerism, Coca-Cola. Hammer and sickle, the symbol of brotherhood between industry and peasantry, apparently proved to be a Warholian emblem par excellence.”

Doris Ammann, Andy Warhol Hammer and Sickle,  Zurich, 1999.