Handcoloured, Authenticated Lithographs of Andy Warhol’s In the Bottom of my Garden

Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

In the Bottom of My Garden is an early work by Andy Warhol.  This charming and witty set of 20 handcoloured lithographs (including the title) was published by him in 1956 and it is interesting to note that a mere three or four years later, Warhol had become a leading exponent of the American Pop Art movement with  Dick Tracy (circa 1960), which is generally accepted as Warhol’s first Pop Art piece.

Each image from In the Bottom of my Garden is peopled with dumpy little putti frolicking amongst flowers, and it is probably the nearest Warhol got to whimsy, however on close inspection there is an underlying naughty sexiness to the prancing!

Most of the pictures are handcoloured with touches of fluorescent pink, orange, blue and green watercolour, while others are just as pretty but in black and white. These early images incorporate Warhol’s trademark irregular blotted lines and flat use of colour, which he learnt at college while training as a commercial artist. One could say that these putti mark the beginning of the artist’s artistic metamorphosis.