The Art of Advent: Day 21
It’s the twenty-first day of December which means we’re only four days away from Christmas day! Today we have a fantastic Festive Favourite from Aliza Walls all about Andy Warhol and his adoration of Christmas time. She discusses the reasons why the artist felt such a deep love for the festive period and highlights some of his wonderful seasonal works.
Despite his rather aloof personality, Pop artist Andy Warhol had a genuine and lifelong love for Christmas. For Warhol, Christmas represented not only the epitome of consumerism, popular culture, and kitsch, but a time for friendship and togetherness, informed perhaps by his deep religious belief.
Upon his arrival in Manhattan, Warhol worked for Tiffany & Co., creating Christmas cards for the company which were printed each year until 1962, when he began to create his iconic Campbell’s soup works. The cards are delicate and sentimental, a far cry from Warhol’s later graphic screen prints.
L: Warhol, Christmas Fairy, ink on paper, c. 1954. R: Warhol, Christmas Tree, ink on paper, c. 1957.
In his later series, Myths (1981), Warhol included a print of Santa among other American mythic figures like Mickey Mouse, Uncle Sam, and Superman. The depicted figures were indicative of Warhol’s personality and desires, and many were beloved figures from both Warhol's own childhood and the broader American imaginary. His inclusion of Santa, to those who knew him, alluded to his personal and aesthetic interest in Christmas.
Warhol, Santa Claus, from Myths, screen print, 1981.
Warhol’s love for Christmas extended into his social life. He often dressed as Santa and compelled his friends to do the same. He loved to photograph department store Santas, and used one such photograph as a reference for Myths. Warhol also donned a Santa suit on the cover of High Times, a countercultural magazine which promoted the legalization of cannabis, alongside his friend, iconic writer Truman Capote.
Warhol and Capote on the cover of High Times, 1978.
On a more personal level, Christmas represented a chance for exuberant celebration. Warhol was notoriously social and rarely alone, the artist describing himself as having a “social disease”. He was also an integral part of New York’s creative community and has been described as the “glue” that held local artists together. So although Christmas was clearly of aesthetic interest to Warhol for its integral connections to consumerism and mass culture, his deep love for the holiday is also indicative of his generosity, faith, and love of celebration.