Due to copyright reasons the image resolution is reduced. We ask for your understanding.

Sturtevant

Warhol Black Marilyn, 2004

MaterialSynthetic resin paint and silkscreen ink on canvas
Dimensions40.5 x 35.5 cm
Year of acquisition2016
Inventory numberUAB 1057
On viewOn view
Copyright© The estate of Sturtevant

More about the artwork

Sturtevant was known for repeating the works of other artists. In this way, she turned the visual logic of Pop Art—to reproduce or multiply already existing motifs—back on itself. As early as 1964, she chose works by Andy Warhol for repetition: first his “Flowers” series, and as of 1965 his “Marilyn” depictions. But Sturtevant was not interested in mere, true-to-detail repetition. She objected to the accusation that her works were simple copies and thus upset conventional notions of originality and authorship, for what then distinguishes her works from their predecessors? An answer lies in the “Warhol Black Marilyn” (2004) shown here, to which there is no direct precursor in Warhol’s oeuvre. Sturtevant increased the drastic effect of the original motif. The contour of her lipstick is smeared, her smile turns into a grimace. What was already implicit in Warhol—he began his series in 1962 shortly after Monroe’s death—becomes evident in Sturtevant: the actress is turned into a symbol of transience and mortality.