Andy Warhol’s African Elephant (F&S II.293) is one of ten screen prints that comprise the Endangered Species portfolio, created in 1983 in collaboration with environmental activists and commissioned by art dealers Ronald and Frayda Feldman. The series reflects a rare moment in Warhol’s career in which he turned to ecological subjects, applying his iconic Pop Art language to a matter of global concern.

By the early 1980s, the African elephant had become a potent symbol in the international conservation movement—its population threatened by habitat loss and poaching. Warhol’s approach to the subject was characteristically visual rather than didactic: he transformed the elephant into an emblem of cultural and environmental urgency, framing it within the same silkscreen process used to depict celebrities and consumer products.

In elevating the African elephant to icon status, Warhol drew attention to the fragility of its existence and the role of media in shaping public consciousness. African Elephant is now regarded as one of the key works from the Endangered Species series, especially valued for its synthesis of political awareness and visual immediacy.

The print is signed and numbered in pencil lower right and is offered in excellent condition by Coskun Fine Art, with full authentication and provenance available on request.

Printer: Rupert Jasen Smith, New York

Publisher: Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, Inc. New York.