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Andy Warhol's Hammer and Sickle Portfolio featuring 4 prints Andy Warhol's Hammer and Sickle Portfolio featuring 4 prints

Andy Warhol: Hammer and Sickle

5 Things to Know
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Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987) explored the opposing ideologies of communism and captialism in his thought-provoking Hammer and Sickle portfolio. Discover 5 Things to Know about this controverisal artwork. 

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1. This artwork led to an FBI investigation into Andy Warhol鈥檚 potential communist sympathies
Andy Warhol
Hammer and Sickle, 1977
Complete portfolio of four screenprints on Strathmore Bristol paper
Each 76.2 x 101.6 cm
Edition of 50 (+ 10 AP)

1. This artwork led to an FBI investigation into Andy Warhol鈥檚 potential communist sympathies

When Warhol first conceived of the Hammer and Sickle in 1976, the world was in the midst of the Cold War. Communism posed a major threat to the capitalist system in the West and there was a huge amount of paranoia about the ideology that constantly threatened to expand and transform Western culture. The Hammer and Sickle is the primary symbol of communism, illustrated on flags, posters and graffiti across the world by those who support Karl Marx’s vision. Warhol took inspiration from this politically charged symbol to create this set of prints. Not only did this shock gallery goers, but it alerted the FBI who included the artist's name on several watch lists. For the years that followed, Warhol was closely monitored due to suspicion that he might have communist sympathies.

3. The Hammer and Sickle series is a sincere exploration of an original approach to representing a still life
Authentic Hammer and Sickle on display at the Andy Warhol: Beyond the Brand exhibition at 29 New Bond Street, London.

3. The Hammer and Sickle series is a sincere exploration of an original approach to representing a still life

These prints are remarkable for their political connotations, but they are also rich works of art that demonstrate a sincere interest from Warhol to explore the still life genre in innovative ways. The artist didn’t simply want to reproduce the communist symbol, he wanted to capture the hammer and sickle as real tangible objects. So, he went to a hardware store, bought a real hammer and sickle and went to work, photographing them from different angles under harsh lighting. The subsequent polaroids were the source images for his prints. Unlike many of his most iconic works, such as Campbell’s Soup Cans, Warhol captures these objects in three dimensions with vibrant reds and heavy-handed drawn lines that emphasise their shadows.

4. Hammer and Sickle featured in an exhibition entitled Still Lifes at Leo Castelli Gallery
Hammer and Sickle, Andy Warhol, 1977 (detail)

4. Hammer and Sickle featured in an exhibition entitled Still Lifes at Leo Castelli Gallery

Warhol first exhibited the Hammer and Sickle series at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York in January 1977. The exhibition was entitled Still Lifes, an ironic and masterful title choice. The works exhibited are certainly still lifes, but the viewer would more likely associate the subject with communism. Warhol’s exhibition title is typical of the contrived naivety that he adopted as part of his public persona. By referring to these works as still lifes, he seems to imply that these objects could just as easily be swapped for a bouquet of flowers; it is as if he were unaware of the politically charged nature of his subject.   

The exhibition was critically acclaimed, and writers focused not only on the work’s provocative meaning but also Warhol’s treatment of form. Art critic John Russell observed that ‘In these new paintings [Warhol] has taken something from sculpture ... something from architecture ... and something of painting ... and come up with an end result that combines imagination with punch.
5. The inclusion of the brand of the Sickle is the ultimate Warholian joke
The American Brand 'Champion' which produced the above Sickle. On display at the Andy Warhol: Beyond the Brand exhibition at 29 New Bond Street, London.

5. The inclusion of the brand of the Sickle is the ultimate Warholian joke

On the handle of the sickle, emphasised with boldly pronounced writing, Warhol includes the brand that made the product, Champion. By the 1970s, Warhol had fully established himself with a clear artistic identity and he enjoyed playing with people's expectations about his work. He had made his name originally by transforming Campbell’s trademark design into a celebrated work of art. This piece would go on to be recognised as a symbol of capitalism, not unlike the way that the Hammer and Sickle is a symbol of communism. Yet, the inclusion of the brand of the sickle reclaims these objects as commercial products.

 

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Andy Warhol: Beyond the Brand

Andy Warhol: Beyond the Brand

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