Andy Warhol is forever associated with his groundbreaking and often controversial contemporary work, but before all that Andy Warhol was a commercial artist working for numerous agencies and as a freelancer. In this book, Rainer Crone shines a light on Warhol’s earliest work, which were hardly commercial and bear no resemblance to what he eventually became known for. Here we see whimsical caricatures, simple line drawings, and paintings that show the influence of Matisse. Crone walks us through the political and social events that shaped the young artist living in a post-war America. Profusely illustrated, the book contains sections printed on colored papers and Warhol’s “Gold Book” from 1957, a series of ink drawings on gold paper. This is a rich monograph of an often-misunderstood artist whose breadth of talent went far beyond a Campbell’s soup can. Warhol died the year this book was published. Two years later, the Metropolitan Museum of Art would mount its first retrospective of his work.

In very good condition with original dust jacket in protective Mylar. First Edition.