Printed Originals presents · one name, four inks
Andy Warhol Original posters · 1928–1987
Gallery walls. A film ticket. The Olympics. Printed while he lived, and after. We say which.
- 6 Aug 1928 Born. Pittsburgh.
- 22 Feb 1987 Died. New York.
- 11 posters in our archive printed in his lifetime.
- 17 printed after.
- 0 confirmed signed by hand. Two still under the loupe.
02 · Gallery walls
Gallery walls, 1969–1986
- Six invitations.
- Six cities.
- Five print their dates. One does not.
European museums and galleries printed these for Warhol shows while he was alive. Each names the venue and the dates. That is what places it in his lifetime.
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No. 1 · 1969
Städtische Kunsthalle Düsseldorf
- Show
- Sammlung 1968 Karl Ströher
- Picture
- Marilyn
- Note
- The 1968 is the collection’s title. The show was 1969.
- Pen
- A signature crosses into the margin. Still being checked in hand.
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No. 2 · 1981
Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hannover
- When
- 23 October – 13 December 1981
- Show
- Bilder 1961 bis 1981
- Picture
- The Star (Greta Garbo), from Myths, 1981
- Pen
- A black “Andy Warhol” with a long overline. Still being checked in hand.
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No. 3 · 1982
Galerie Kammer, Hamburg
- When
- Februar – März 1982
- Where
- Böhmersweg 9, Hamburg 13
- Picture
- Mickey Mouse, from Myths, 1981
- Pen
- His signature, printed in red. Plate-signed.
-
No. 4 · 1983
Galerie Börjeson, Malmö
- When
- 3–23 December 1983
- Where
- Hamngatan 4, Malmö
- Picture
- The Nun, from the Ingrid Bergman portfolio, 1983. Portfolio edition: 250.
- Pen
- None.
-
No. 5 · 1986
Lavignes-Bastille, Paris
- When
- 8 avril – 30 mai 1986
- Where
- 27, rue de Charonne, Paris 11
- Picture
- 10 Statues of Liberty, 1986. The FABIS badge is part of the painting.
- Pen
- None.
-
No. 6 · No dates printed
Tate Gallery, London
- Caption
- “Andy Warhol, Marilyn, 1967 London, Tate Gallery”
- When
- Not printed. The 1967 is the year of the Marilyn print.
- Note
- Tate’s Warhol show ran 17 February – 28 March 1971, with a different poster. When ours was printed, we are still checking.
- Pen
- None.
03 · Commissions
Three commissions. Admit one.
A festival. A film. The Olympics. Three pictures, each made for an event.
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Admit one · 1967
5th New York Film Festival
- Printed on it
- “Philharmonic Hall, September 20–30”. And the number 087506.
- Client
- Lincoln Center, for List Art Posters
- Process
- Screenprint. Lincoln Center Ticket, F&S II.19.
- Edition
- 500, unsigned. A signed edition of 200 was printed on acrylic.
- Pen
- None. Unsigned original.
Still to check on our copy: screenprint layers, under a loupe.
Available · from £8,350.00 · View this poster → -
Admit one · 1982
Querelle
- Printed on it
- Brad Davis. Jeanne Moreau. Franco Nero. Laurent Malet. Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Jean Genet. Dieter Schidor.
- Client
- Fassbinder asked. Warhol visited the set on 2 March 1982.
- Process
- Offset, several colours. Universal Prints, Hamburg.
- Pen
- His signature, printed twice. Plate-signed.
Also in green. Both in the archive.
Available · from £360.00 · View this poster → -
Admit one · 1984
XIV Olympic Winter Games, Sarajevo
- Printed on it
- The Games, in French, English and Serbo-Croat.
- Picture
- Speed Skater, 1983. A screenprint, edition 150 plus 10 artist’s proofs. F&S IIB.303.
- Use
- The official poster.
- Pen
- None. His name is typeset, small, beside the picture.
04 · After 1987
The Foundation era
Warhol died in New York in February 1987. Posters printed after that are posthumous. Many are genuine museum posters, but they are not lifetime pieces.
- His will created The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
- It holds the copyrights he controlled.
- It licenses his images. In the UK, through DACS.
- It does not make or sell merchandise.
- It stopped authenticating works in 2011.
The dated ones, in our archive
1989. 1989. 1994. 1996. 2001. 2002. 2003. 2004. 2009. 2013. 2024.
The posters kept coming. Museums borrowed his pictures and printed their own dates. Some copied his signature off the artwork. Read the label, not the name.
1989
Castel Mareccio, Bolzano
Liz, from 1964. Shown 21 October – 10 December 1989.
The “Andy Warhol 64” in the corner is copied from the print. Printed, not signed.
Available · from £480.00 · View this poster →
1989
Museo di Villa Croce, Genoa
Mammy, from Myths, 1981. Shown 23 August – 15 October 1989.
Le cento immagini: the hundred images. No signature.
Available · from £690.00 · View this poster →
1994
Lavignes-Bastille, Paris
The gallery of the 1986 Statues, eight years on. Twenty artists, 18–30 October 1994.
“Andy Warhol, 1986 · Acrylique” runs up the margin. A credit, not a signature.
Available · from £360.00 · View this poster →
1996–97
Museo dell’Automobile, Turin
Viaggio in Italia. 30 November 1996 – 9 March 1997.
No signature.
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
After 1987
Chanel No. 5
The image is from his Ads portfolio, 1985.
His signature is reproduced beside CHANEL. Who published this poster, we are still asking.
Available · from £440.00 · View this poster →
2004
Sprengel Museum Hannover
Self-Portrait, 1967.
The margin reads “© 2004 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts”. Licensed. Posthumous. Genuine.
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
What a Foundation credit proves
A line such as “© 2004 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts” proves a poster is posthumous and licensed. It does not prove the poster reprints a lifetime one. For that, check four things in order: venue, dates and printer’s line are present and agree; size and paper match recorded copies; the image is sharp, because re-shot reprints go soft; and under a loupe, offset shows dots where screenprint shows solid ink.
05 · Close reading · Sammlung 1968 Karl Ströher, Düsseldorf, 1969
Two dates. One is the date.
06 · Signature lab
Hand-signed: none confirmed.
Most Warhol posters carry no handwriting. Some print his signature into the design, as on Querelle and the Galerie Kammer Mickey Mouse. He also signed posters by hand, usually in felt-tip. Anything dated after February 1987, or credited to the Foundation, is posthumous. Lifetime posters with no signature are marked “unsigned original”: made with the artist, not after.
Hand-signed
Signed by Warhol himself, usually in felt-tip, on top of the printed ink. None confirmed in our archive. Our 1969 Ströher and 1981 Kestner posters carry signatures we are still checking in hand.
Plate-signed
His signature is part of the printed design, so every copy has it. Under a loupe it shows the same ink and dot pattern as the rest of the poster. Querelle (1982) is another example.
On this poster: The red signature is printed across the grey band, in the same flat ink as the type. Available · from £570.00 · View this poster →
Show all 3 in the archive ↓
After Warhol
Made after his death in 1987, or reproducing his work without him: museum, gallery and licensed posters. Many copy his signature from the artwork. Lifetime posters without a signature are marked unsigned original instead.
On this poster: ‘Andy Warhol 64’, copied from the 1964 print into a 1989 poster. Printed, not signed. Available · from £480.00 · View this poster →
Show all 17 in the archive ↓Under the loupe
Two lifetime posters carry a signature we cannot settle from a 1,400 px photograph. Felt-tip sits on top of the ink, often with a slight sheen or bleed. A printed signature lies in the ink layer and shows the same dots. We are checking both in hand, with a loupe and raking light. Until then, both are marked unclear.
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Kestner-Gesellschaft, 1981 Black, with a long overline, in the pink band. Copies signed in marker are recorded at auction. Status: checking in hand. -
Sammlung Karl Ströher, 1969 Crosses from the picture into the margin. Hand-signed copies are offered; some listings mention none. Status: checking in hand.
07 · The Printed Originals Warhol archive
Every Warhol poster we have held.
22 available now · 6 sold. Lifetime posters first, then everything after 22 February 1987. Sold posters show no price.
08 · Collecting
Read the margin first.
Venue. Dates. Printer. Credit line. In that order. Then look for a signature.
Hand-signed, plate-signed and after: what do the terms mean?
Hand-signed means Warhol signed this copy himself, usually in felt-tip on top of the printed ink. Plate-signed means his signature is printed into the design, so every copy has it. After means there is no signature of his, or the poster reproduces his work and was made by a museum, gallery or publisher. That includes posthumous posters that copy his signature.
How can I tell whether a Warhol poster was printed in his lifetime?
Read the poster. Warhol died on 22 February 1987. Exhibition dates up to then, with a venue and a printer’s line, place a poster in his lifetime. A credit to The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts means it is posthumous, because the Foundation was formed under his will. Later dates and retrospective titles also point to later printing.
How do I tell an original exhibition poster from a later reprint?
Check four things. The text should name a real venue and dates, with a printer’s line. Size and paper should match recorded copies; reprints are often smaller or glossier. A reprint shot from a poster or print loses fine detail. Under a loupe, offset shows dots and screenprint shows solid ink. Ask us for detailed photographs of any poster.
What does ‘© The Andy Warhol Foundation’ on a poster mean?
The image was licensed after Warhol’s death. His will set up the Foundation, which holds the copyrights he controlled and licenses his images, in the UK through DACS. The Foundation does not sell posters itself and no longer authenticates works. A licensed museum poster is genuine, but it is not a lifetime piece.
Did Warhol sign exhibition posters by hand?
Yes, often, usually in black felt-tip. Phillips sold a 1971 Tate Gallery Marilyn poster signed that way. Hand-signed copies of the 1969 Ströher and 1981 Kestner posters are also recorded. We do not call a signature hand-signed until we have checked it on the paper itself.
Condition and framing
We grade condition in six steps and describe every mark (condition grading). Framing is optional, and all our framing is conservation framing (framing original posters).