
Andy Warhol 1928-1987
Red Lenin (F&S II.403) is one of Andy Warhol’s final screen prints, created in 1987, and forms part of his late engagement with political portraiture. A more stylised and visually arresting variant of the Lenin image (F&S II.402), this version features a simplified palette dominated by a bold red field—a deliberate visual echo of Soviet-era aesthetics and political symbolism.
Warhol sourced the original image from a 1930s photograph of Lenin and reinterpreted it using his signature silkscreen process. Unlike his celebrity portraits, where repetition softens and diffuses, Red Lenin sharpens the message: the figure is isolated, expression direct, and design elements reduced to essentials. This print exemplifies Warhol’s capacity to render authority as image—flattened, reproduced, and stripped of narrative context.
Issued in an edition of 120 and signed lower right in pencil, Red Lenin carries particular weight among Warhol’s late works. It encapsulates his preoccupation with power and propaganda at the close of his career and stands as one of the most visually austere compositions of his printmaking practice.
Offered in excellent condition by Coskun Fine Art. Full authentication and provenance available upon request.
Literature
Catalogue Raisonnee: Feldman & Schellmann 11.403