Andy Warhol Portrait circa 1955 Signed Unique Drawing Framed

Andy Warhol
Portrait, circa 1958
black ballpoint pen on paper 
paper: 15 5/8 x 12 3/4 inches
frame: 23 1/2 x 18 1/4 inches
signed “Andy Warhol" in black ballpoint pen and inscribed "M. G.” lower left
Drawn circa 1958.
Floated Silver Leaf wood frame with white mat
Excellent condition, paper with ripples, extreme right corner irregular; due to age, there may be minor condition variances from the condition depicted in the lot photographs.

Provenance
Prominent Private Collection, New York, acquired directly from Andy Warhol
Mimi Gross, New York
Private Collection, New York
O’hara Gallery, New York
Thence by decent
Private Collection, New York

A 1950s drawing by Andy Warhol depicting Mimi Gross reflects the intimate, interconnected nature of the downtown New York art scene during that period, when Warhol was still working primarily in commercial illustration and developing the stylized line work that would define his early reputation. Mimi Gross, the daughter of sculptor Chaim Gross and later wife of artist Red Grooms, moved within a close-knit circle of young artists who were beginning to challenge the boundaries between fine art, performance, and illustration.

In this context, Warhol’s portrait of Gross can be understood less as a formal studio work and more as part of his social and professional exchange with fellow creatives. Gross herself would go on to become a significant multidisciplinary artist, collaborating extensively with Grooms on major installation works such as Ruckus Manhattan and participating in the emergence of immersive, theatrical installation art in the 1960s and 70s.