Andy Warhol’s Silver Liz at the International Celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976

Abstract

In 1976, at the moment when the U.S. celebrated the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution, one of its prominent citizens, Pop artist Andy Warhol (1928–1987), enjoyed growing popularity. By turning from a Sixties underground artist into a truly mediated business persona, he inaugurated his Interview magazine, published several books, and began to receive hundreds of commissioned portraits from socialites, film and music stars, and celebrities. Even though some academic research sheds light on the history of the international circulation of Warhol’s oeuvre during the artist’s lifetime and after his death, nothing is still widely known about his contributions to the international celebrations of the U.S. Bicentennial. The current paper aims to fill in this research gap. It examines how and why Warhol’s painting Silver Liz was exhibited in 200 Years of American Painting organized by the U.S. government in Landesmuseum Bonn in 1976 as part of the international celebrations of the U.S. Bicentennial and explains how this show influenced both the artist’s international success and the U.S. Cultural Cold War strategy.