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Title: Alexander the Great, Trial Print IIB.291
Medium: Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board
Year: 1982
Size: 39 ½” x 39 ½”
Details: Edition of 65 TP, signed and numbered lower right.
Andy Warhol created the trial proof print of Alexander the Great 291 in 1982 to coincide with “The Search for Alexander” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The print depicts the Hellenistic bronze bust of Alexander the Great in Warhol’s pop art style. In this unique trial proof print, the bust is printed in white and powder blue with black and rainbow outlines creating the details of the Alexander’s face and hair. The bust of Alexander the Great is printed against a solid black background framed by a solid yellow stripe along the right side. Warhol was obsessed with fame and his prints often featured famous faces. By the 1980s, Warhol was reaching beyond modern day to celebrities to appropriating iconic images from history. Alexander the Great has been recognized as one of the greatest military celebrities for centuries, and Warhol’s depiction of the Hellenistic hero is homage to his enduring notoriety.
