Title: Cow 12
Medium: Screenprint on wallpaper
Year: 1971
Size: 45 1/2″ x 29 3/4″
Details: Edition unlimited. Stamped; In blue ink, "Authorized by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts" and "The Estate of Andy Warhol"; with Andy Warhol Foundation inventory number written in pencil (all verso).
Andy Warhol was inspired to by art dealer Ivan Karp to create his Cows in the 1960s. Karp suggested to Warhol, “Why don’t you paint some cows, they’re so wonderfully pastoral and such a durable image in the history of the arts.” Warhol’s printer Gerard Malanga chose the photograph of the cow, however it was Warhol’s unique pop art style that made the final product so interesting. He chose a vibrant color scheme of yellow on blue, making the pastoral animal into an electrifying image. Warhol then printed the exhilarating Cow image on wallpaper, which he first introduced to his creative production in 1966 with his first Cow. This particular Cow was created for an exhibition in 1971 at Whitney Museum of American Art. Warhol created 4 different variations of Cow, with this blue and yellow Cow 12 being his third.
