Andy Warhol’s iconic Cow series

I’m Rebecca Marsham, an Artscapy advisor specialising in the American Pop market. I’m often asked which works excite me the most - and I have to admit, I’m constantly finding new pieces to add to my wish list. Even so, Andy Warhol remains at the very top, and his Cow series is in a league of its own.

These works are a quintessentially playful example of his approach to pop art, with the gentle subject we all know so well presented in four bright, vibrant and distinct colourways. 

After Warhol established Factory Additions with David Whitney, he created the first Cow series (F.&S.II.11) in 1966. This was the first screenprint on an actual wallpaper roll. This idea was initially suggested by New York art dealer Ivan Karp as a wallpaper design for Warhol’s inaugural exhibition at the Leo Castelli in 1966. He then continued to make prints on wallpaper throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

As these iconic pieces were created as wallpaper and not necessarily to be sold, most of them that we see are unsigned but there were small editions (between 100 - 150, depending on colour) released with both the signature and number on verso, making these extremely sought after.

“Another time he (Ivan Karp) said ‘Why don’t you paint cows, they’re so wonderfully pastoral and such a durable image in the history of the arts’” - Andy Warhol 

The artwork is another wonderful representation of Warhol's characteristic style of transforming mundane subjects into bold, graphic statements. 

These works exemplify Warhol's fascination with mass production, repetition and commercial imagery. By selecting a farm animal as his subject and rendering it in a stark, almost industrial manner, Warhol challenged traditional art conventions and blurred lines between fine art and commercial design.

The cow prints became part of Warhol's broader exploration of American iconography, alongside his famous works featuring Campbell's soup cans and Coca-Cola bottles. They demonstrate his ability to elevate everyday objects into provocative artistic statements.

Today, Warhol's cow prints are hugely collectable and are considered significant pieces in the pop art movement, showcasing the artist's innovative approach to visual representation.

I’m thrilled to let you know that we currently have a signed and numbered Andy Warhol Cow (F.&S.II.12) in good condition available right now. If you’d like more information about this iconic piece, please feel welcome to contact us at: advisory@artscapy.com