Andy Warhol rare magazine illustrations reproduced in new book

PanARMENIAN.Net - A selection of rare magazine illustrations by Andy Warhol, which he created before he was famous in the late 1940s, are being reproduced for the first time in a new book, Daily Mail reported.

Andy Warhol: The Complete Commissioned Magazine Work features 400 pieces of cover art, editorial illustration, and ad work by the late artist, from a 1948 cover issue of Carnegie Tech's student magazine, Cano, to a 1987 issue of Jet Society International. The chronological collection offers insight into how Warhol, who died on February 22, 1987, evolved from a struggling freelancer at Harper’s Bazaar, nicknamed Raggedy Andy, to a successful and prolific pop artist.

Working for the likes of Glamour, Mademoiselle, McCall’s, Seventeen, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Life, Playboy and Esquire meant Warhol was charged with creating everything from charming drawings of shoes, hats, flowers, and cats to iconic illustrations of cars and cosmetics, and glitzy celebrity portraits as well as sexy pinups made with collaged Polaroids.

Working with such influential publications enabled him to build relationships with legendary art directors, like Alexander Liberman and Alexey Brodovitch of Harper’s Bazaar, which ultimately furthered his career.

The hardcover book, priced at $100, reveals the artist's full range of styles for the first time, showcasing his work in its entirety over the decades.

Photographs of Bella Abzug for Rolling Stone, Alfred Hitchcock for Vanity Fair, and The Velvet Underground's Nico for Film Culture, are all featured in the book, which was produced by Paul Marechal, who combed magazine archives to compile the collection.

Fashion illustrations, like the pink unicorn drawn for a Vogue ad for Schiaparelli gloves, are also featured - a rarity, because 90per cent of Warhol’s magazine illustrations were never returned to the artist.