Name: Giant Panda (F. & S. II. 295)
Brand: Andy Warhol
Rating: 5 (235 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Andy Warhol’s Giant Panda (F. & S. II. 295) (signed) is estimated to be worth between £120,000 and £180,000. This screenprint has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 56%. Over the past 12 months, the artwork has sold once at an average selling price of £131,108. This work has a strong auction history, having been sold 18 times since its initial sale in May 2002. The edition size of this piece is limited to 150.

Meaning & Analysis

Printed in 1983, Giant Panda (F. & S. II. 295) is a signed screen print in colour by Andy Warhol on Lenox Museum Board. The print depicts a Giant Panda in bold red and pink rendered against a white backdrop. Blue gestural lines delineate the panda’s body and facial features. The panda is sitting in the centre of the composition, looking straight at the viewer of the print. Giant Pandas live in the mountain ranges of China, however farming and deforestation have produced an existential threat to this beautiful species. As the panda gazes out the print, the viewer is forced to think about the future of this endangered species.

read more about Endangered Species

Giant Panda (F. & S. II. 295) is part of the Endangered Species series, composed of 10 prints of different species, all of whom are threatened due to climate change, hunting and deforestation. The series was commissioned by New York gallerists and environmental activists, Ronald and Frayda Feldman in 1983 and reflects Warhol’s personal interest in animals and nature. While series like Cow and Flowers focus on more mundane natural subject matter, Warhol’s concern for the environment and ecological issues comes to the fore in this series.

The print was made using Warhol’s signature screen printing technique. Warhol’s experimentation with colour and dynamic gestural lines is apparent in Giant Panda (F. & S. II. 295) which transforms the Giant Panda into an icon of 20th century Pop Art. Warhol’s Pop Art aesthetic celebrates the splendour of this rare species and demands people pay attention to the threat humanity is posing towards this wonderful animal.