Andy Warhol (1928-1987)
Mammy, 1981
Screenprint
38 x 38 in (96.52 x 96.52 cm)
Price on Request
Limited-edition Artist Proof annotated
Catalogue Raisonné: FS II.262
Screenprint in colors with diamond dust on Lenox Museum Board, signed in pencil, numbered (there were 30 artist's proofs), published by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc., New York, the full sheet, generally in good condition, framed
The “Mammy” character is one that is not known in one particular context, but is seen in various forms of pop culture, present in movies like "Gone With the Wind", in comic strips and cartoons like "Tom and Jerry". The earliest characterization of the Mammy figure was in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Over the years, Mammy has become a largely mythologized character that is mostly seen as a positive maternal figure, as the way Warhol has portrayed her. He chose to include her in his Myths portfolio as a character who makes up an intricate and developed narrative of American Pop culture.