Cats Named Sam IV 67
Cats Named Sam IV 67
Unsigned Print
Andy Warhol
£2,400-£3,600Value Indicator
$4,950-$7,500 Value Indicator
$4,450-$6,500 Value Indicator
¥23,000-¥35,000 Value Indicator
€2,800-€4,150 Value Indicator
$25,000-$40,000 Value Indicator
¥480,000-¥710,000 Value Indicator
$3,250-$4,850 Value Indicator
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
23 x 15cm, Edition of 190, Lithograph
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
Auction Results
Track auction value trend
Meaning & Analysis
Printed in 1954, Cats Named Sam IV 67 is an offset lithograph by Andy Warhol that encapsulates the beginning of Warhol’s career as a Pop artist. This print depicts a dynamic cat in a crouching position rendered in bright yellow against a plain backdrop. The cat’s arched back is accentuated by the black ink lines, achieved through Warhol’s signature blotted line technique which he developed in many of his commercial illustrations while working as a freelance commercial illustrator in the 1940s and 1950s.
Moving from commercials to cats, Cats Named Sam IV 67 is part of the Cats Named Sam series, produced by Warhol in 1954 to accompany the children’s book he published, 25 Cats Name (sic) Sam and One Blue Pussy, which was inspired by his mother, Julia, who was living with him at the time in his apartment on East 57th Street in New York. Julia had 25 cats, all of whom were called Sam (except one). The cat’s name, Sam, is in fact written by Julia in elegant calligraphy below that cat in the centre of the composition.
This print captures Warhol’s playful use of colour which has come to characterise his prints. Each print in the Cats Named Sam series has a unique colour composition and was hand coloured by Warhol or his friends.
Andy Warhol was a leading figure of the Pop Art movement and is often considered the father of Pop Art. Born in 1928, Warhol allowed cultural references of the 20th century to drive his work. From the depiction of glamorous public figures, such as Marilyn Monroe, to the everyday Campbell’s Soup Can, the artist challenged what was considered art by blurring the boundaries between high art and mass consumerism. Warhol's preferred screen printing technique further reiterated his obsession with mass culture, enabling art to be seen as somewhat of a commodity through the reproduced images in multiple colour ways.