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Hand Colored Flowers
Flowers (Hand-Colored)
Artist	Andy Warhol
Year	1974
Medium	Screenprint, printed in black ink, from one stencil, hand-colored in Dr. Martin's aniline watercolor dyes
Movement	Pop Art

Hand Colored Flowers also known as Flowers (Hand-Colored) is a 1974 series of 10 hand-colored silkscreen prints by American artist Andy Warhol. The portfolio was co-published by Multiples, Inc. and Castelli Graphics and continues Warhol's long-running engagement with the floral motif first introduced in 1964. Similarly, Warhol executed a series of 8 black-and-white Flower drawings in 1975. The simplified forms and bold graphic treatment align with Warhol's broader exploration of repetition, flatness, and the transformation of mass-media imagery into fine art.

Flowers had been a recurring subject in Warhol's work since the mid-1960s. The original Flowers images were derived from a photograph taken by Patricia Caulfield for the June 1964 issue of Modern Photography.^[1][2] Warhol cropped the source image—originally depicting several blossoms and "seven flowers, and 'revised' it by shifting one of the flowers"—to create tightly framed compositions of hibiscus blooms.^[1] He initially developed the image in 1964 in numerous paintings of varying sizes and later revisited the motif in drawings and print portfolios.

In 1974, Warhol returned to the subject with the Hand Colored Flowers portfolio. One of his assistants, Ronnie Cutrone, was assigned the task of locating picture sources for the project.^[3] Cutrone assembled several illustrated books on the art of flower arranging, from which Warhol selected images to serve as the basis for freehand drawings. These drawings were then photographically transferred to silkscreens.^[3]

The portfolio was published in an edition of 250. Warhol regarded flowers as a consistently marketable subject, particularly after October 1973, when collectors Robert and Ethel Scull sold one of his large flower paintings depicting two blossoms at auction for $135,000, reinforcing the commercial appeal of the motif.^[4]

In contrast to the 1970 Flowers screen prints, which present 10 variations of a single image, the 1974 Hand Colored Flowers portfolio comprises 10 distinct floral compositions.^[3] Whereas the earlier flowers appear flat and graphic, the later images introduce a greater sense of three-dimensionality. Blossoms and vases are set starkly against expansive white paper, emphasizing spatial contrast and isolation.^[3]

Most arrangements are understated, often featuring a single bloom in a vase, sometimes accompanied by leaves or elements of florist's paraphernalia, such as an angular piece of driftwood placed beside a sunflower. The compositions are based on photographic sources and focus on close-up views of blossoms, at times cropped so that the image extends to or beyond the edges of the sheet.^[3]

After the drawings were silkscreened in black, Warhol filled in the forms with color in a casual, painterly manner. As in many of his works from the 1950s, the prints were brushed with Dr. Martin's aniline watercolor dyes. Because they were individually hand-colored, the prints vary in hue and surface quality, making them among Warhol's most decorative works in the watercolor medium and introducing subtle differences within the edition.^[3]

In 1975, Warhol created 8 drawings from similar photographic sources. Warhol used the photograph as a point of departure, loosening the image by eliminating certain details and extrapolating others to achieve a deliberately interpretive effect.^[1] In some compositions, the entire floral arrangement occupies only the middle portion of the page; in others, the image is dramatically enlarged as to crop the flower. Leaves may appear merely outlined or rendered with greater detail, and shadows are sometimes abbreviated or omitted altogether. These works are characterized by succinct line and a concentrated elegance.^[1]

Hand Colored Flowers, a portfolio of 10 flower compositions silkscreened in black and hand-colored, debuted at the Leo Castelli Gallery and Multiples, Inc. in New York from December 1974 to January 1975.^[5][6]

The Flowers series, consisting of 8 drawings, was exhibited at the Locksley Shay Gallery in Minneapolis from September to October 1975.^[1]

The Hand Colored Flowers series can be found in major art institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York,^[7] the Whitney Museum in New York,^[8] the Albany Museum of Art in Georgia,^[9] the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois,^[10] and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.^[11]

In February 2002, the screen print Flowers (Hand Colored) (F. & S. II 119), sold for $2,350 at Christie's.^[12]

In November 2002, the set Flowers (Hand-Colored) (F. & S. II 110-119), all numbered 243/250, sold for $20,315 at Christie's.^[13]

In May 2006, the set Flowers (Hand-Colored) (F. & S. 110-119), all numbered 184/250, sold for $66,000 at Christie's.^[14]

In October 2007, the set Flowers (Hand-Colored) (F. & S. 110-19), each numbered 48/250, sold for $70,600 at Christie's.^[15]

In July 2009, the screen print Flowers (Hand-Colored) (F. & S. II.106), numbered 74/250, sold for $4,000 at Christie's.^[16]

In July 2011, 2 screen prints, Flowers (Black and White) (F. & S. II.101) and Flowers (Hand-Colored) (F. & S. II.114 & 116), sold for $6,875 at Christie's.^[17]

In October 2011, the set Flowers (F. & S. II.110-19), each numbered 190/250, sold for $43,750 at Christie's.^[18]

In May 2013, 8 prints from the set Flowers (Hand-Colored) (F. & S. II.110-113, 115-116, 118-119), all numbered 96/250, sold for $50,000 at Christie's.^[19]

In October 2019, 3 Flowers (Hand-colored) screen prints numbered 'AP 27/50', 'AP 33/50,' and 'AP 27/50' respectively sold for $20,000 at Christie's.^[20]