is arguably the most important American artist of the 20th century. He not only helped define Pop Art but had a lasting effect on artists, image-making, and the power of celebrity in both the fine art realm and popular culture.

While Warhol is best known for portraits of celebrities and his Pop Art icons, the black and white gelatin silver prints from his later years come as a stark contrast to the opulent social scenes depicted throughout his earlier work. Often depicting solitude, these photographs emphasize the loneliness of modern life, especially in an urban environment. 

Warhol was obsessed and dedicated to image making through a variety of media especially photography. His Polaroids were often used as a tool for his silkscreen portraits. However Warhol was also very loyal to his film cameras, taking them everywhere and often using them as a sort of armour / shield from the 1970's onwards. 

Warhol didn't simply document his surroundings or take images as a distraction or "fence". With the images Warhol created with his 35mm camera he created an innovative body of work consisting of stitched photographs. 

Featuring four identical images stitched together to form a grid, this work is an elegant example of Warhol's use of repetition, an iconic and distinctive device present throughout his oeuvre.

The close-cropped image captures a sunlit building facade in NYC, revealing the details of its arched windows and Juliette balcony. Other than these characteristics, there are few clues to reveal its ambiguous location. Is Warhol emulating the paparazzi, trying to get an image of a famous resident? Or is Warhol admiring the city's architecture? What makes this series so compelling is the ambiguity of the artwork. These were also created at a moment when photography was beginning to be considered as an art form and there was a nascent market and collector base.   

In 1987, Warhol had a solo show featuring his photography at the Robert Miller Gallery in New York. He intended to make photography an increasing part of his practice before his untimely death just six weeks after the exhibition.

In recent years both curators and collectors have embraced Warhol's photo-based work. We are excited to be offering this fine example of one of his stitched photographs. 

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"Building Facade" 

USA, 1976-1986  

Four gelatin silver prints stitched with thread

21.25"H 27.5"W (work)

36.5"H 30.5"W (framed)

Framed with museum glass

Very good condition 

Provenance: Hamiltons (London), Paul Kasmin Gallery (New York City)