Superman

Andy Warhol

American, 1928-1987. Created using Acrylic and Silkscreen ink on canvas, 60 x 60 inches (152.4 x 152.4 cm).

Andy Warhol, the leader and most-celebrated figure of the Pop Art Movement, created Superman (1981) for his Myths Portfolio, a series that appropriated characters from popular culture, the likes of Dracula, Santa Claus, and Uncle Sam. Screen-printed in colors with diamond dust, Superman features the most iconic superhero of the 20th Century, a creation of D.C. Comics. Clark Kent, otherwise known as Superman, was a newspaper journalist by day who saved humanity by night.

Guided by a deep interest in recontextualizing images of mass media, from products like Campbell’s Soup to personalities like Marilyn Monroe, Warhol recasts Superman as a reflection of his own personal myth and gives the viewer the space to reconsider the stories that we, as a culture, create and celebrate.