Notes

Published by Fondazione Amelio, Naples.

Created during a period when Warhol was increasingly interested in mortality and legacy, the present lot captures the explosive energy of Mount Vesuvius, the infamous volcano near Naples, Italy. Vesuvius marks a departure from Warhol's more familiar themes by confronting a powerful symbol of destruction and transformation.

The present lot is a multi-screenprinted version of the volcano rendered in vivid and lurid colours. A palette of bright reds, yellows, oranges and purples evoke both the literal heat of the eruption and the psychological intensity of the event. Rather than aiming for geological accuracy, Warhol abstracts Vesuvius into a repetitive, almost comic-book form, flattening the mountain into graphic lines and high-contrast imagery.

Warhol's approach to colour and theme reflects his fascination with death and catastrophe, explored in earlier works like the Death and Disaster series (1962-1967). By sourcing imagery from tabloid media archives, he captures the mechanical, almost compulsive way society consumes and commodifies horror. In Vesuvius, this preoccupation is channelled through the lens of natural disaster, transforming the volcano into a mass-produced image that blurs the line between the sublime and the sensational. Merging beauty, violence and repetition, the present lot invites viewers to confront their relationship with destruction, media and memory, serving as a powerful meditation on the anxieties of modern life.

Literature

Feldman & Schellmann II365.

Provenance

Lord and Guy Gallery, New York, 2002.

Private Collection.