Brillo Andy Warhol - BE@RBRICK
Andy Warhol created near-constant controversy with his art over his 25-year career. His work challenged conventions in terms of style and irreverence. The "BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol Brillo 100% & 400% Set" figure showcases one of Warhol's earliest eye-catching controversies.
Andy Warhol and BE@RBRICK Collaboration Background
Medicom Toys planned for nine figure releases within the Andy Warhol collaboration over five years. In 2021, the collaboration will receive the largest addition of figures since the first set of Warhol BE@BRICK was released in 2016.
Collaboration Planning and Launch
Medicom Toys' collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation began in 2014 with figures depicting the artist himself. The collaboration expanded to include Warhol's iconic artwork in 2019 with the Double Mona Lisa. Over two years, Warhol's BE@RBRICK art spanned from his early screenprint Flowers and last collection of the Last Supper.
BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol Brillo 100% & 400% Set
This two-figure set depicting Warhol's reproduction of Brillo Pad packaging captures the spirit of artistic mass production. Each figure features the 1960s era Brillo Pad advertising image repeated in a grid style. The pattern wraps around the entire figure, continuing into the joints and seams. The main white background provides a clean backdrop for the bright red and blue to pop in the style of mid-century advertising. Both figures have a replica of Andy Warhol's signature and a small face portrait on the back denoting their authenticity. The figure also comes in a 27-inch tall, 1000% size.
- Product Name: BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol Brillo 100% & 400% Set
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Specifications: Set of 2 painted, articulated, non-scale figures with water transfer printing
- Set Contents:
100%: 70mm | 2.8"
400%: 280mm | 11"
About Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol is best known as a pioneer of the pop art movement. Before entering the pop art scene, Warhol did commercial art and dabbled with homoerotic and gold shoe drawings. He painted his first iconic piece, the Campbell's Soup Cans, in 1961. In addition to his signature silkscreen prints, Warhol made a name for himself as a video artist in the 60s. The peak of his career saw Warhol engaging in other enterprises, like band management and magazines. Through the 1970s, Warhol returned to painting with a body of work focused on society portraits. By the 1980s, Warhol developed friendships and working relationships with upcoming artists in the New York scene.
About Brillo Boxes
Warhol's Brillo Boxes stands as one of his most controversial works in the 1960s art world. Each painted, plywood sculpture is a precise replica of the soap pad cleaning product box. Upon debut, the Boxes called into question how society places value on art and blurred the lines between consumption and creativity. Warhol created numerous Brillo Box sculptures over his career creating a mass-produced product in itself. Authentic Warhol Brillo Boxes can be found in art museums and private collections around the world. As of 2021, the body of work remains a talking point for gauging the quality of good art in the fine arts curriculum.
Other Important Artwork by Andy Warhol
Warhol's career covered commercial art, mass production, and the relationship between the public and fine art.
The Campbell's Soup Cans
One of Warhol's most famous works is a collection of 32 hand-painted canvases depicting Campbell's soup lines. Started in 1961, it is one of his first successful forays into pop art. Previously, Warhol worked on adapting comic book art styles until seeing similar work by artist Roy Lichtenstein. With each piece, Warhol carefully tried to replicate a uniform image in order to mimic mass production. The only variance between pieces is the name on the label denoting the flavor of the soup. Today, the complete 32 canvas collection is on display in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Poor Little Rich Girl
Poor Little Rich Girl is a 1965 underground art film and the first of a four-film series. The film follows Edie Sedgwick, a socialite who left her family obligations to join Warhol and his studio scene. Unscripted, the film has no plot and follows Sedgwick's daily life. The title refers to the 1936 Shirley Temple film of the same name and describes Sedgwick's state at the time. While not a commercial success, the film premiered in The Film-Makers' Cooperative to warm reception. Critics noted the seemingly lively nature of Sedgwick contrasted with the empty look in her eye.
Last Supper
The Last Supper was Warhol's last art cycle he completed before his death in 1987. He was commissioned to create a group of works based on Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper for an exhibition in Milan. He began creating the series in 1984 and ended up finishing over 100 variations by the exhibition in 1986. Some work contains visible outlines, callbacks to his experiments with tracing in his 1980s collaborations, and graphic logo placement. Other entries follow his trademark silkscreen print style with vivid color overlays. The group remains iconic as Warhol's last big project and one of the most ambitious efforts of his career.
Related Figures
Medicom Toys is gradually expanding its collection of Andy Warhol art-inspired BE@RBRICK figures. Representative works from the different stages of his career are now found in BE@RBRICK form. A silkscreen, multi-colored piece from his last body of work, the Last Supper, can be seen on the BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol The Last Supper 100% & 400% Set.
Links
BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol Brillo 100% & 400% Set
BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol Brillo 1000%
BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol The Last Supper 100% & 400% Set
BE@RBRICK Series
BE@BRICK Label
Andy Warhol Label