While the Summer heatwave continues, let's take refuge at the bottom of Andy Warhol’s garden. Currently on exhibition at our flagship gallery on New Bond Street, is Andy Warhol's series 'In the Bottom of my Garden'. Come with us as we explore the work of Andy Warhol before he became the Andy Warhol we all know today.
 |
Andy Warhol, In The Bottom of my Garden
Prior to 'POP' there were fairies. During the 1950's Andy Warhol created a series of illustrated books and portfolios, amongst which is the highly camp series; 'In The Bottom of My Garden'. Inspired by the song by Rose Fyleman and Liza Lehmann, 'There are Fairies in the Bottom of our Garden'. Using offset lithography, Warhol creates a whimsically fantastical world where fairies & putti engage with one another in 21 charming pieces of art.
Whether it's peeping from the centre of a flower, perched upon the back of a horse or sharing a tender kiss as delicate wings unfurl from a putto's shoulders, the figures in Andy Warhol's 'In the Bottom of my Garden' inhabit a world of fantasy, innocence and theatrical charm. The book was published privately in 1956, in a small edition, and during this period Warhol was one of New York's most sought-after commercial illustrators, yet he sought opportunities to express his own creativity. Using his trademark blotted-line technique, Warhol created these bound books and portfolios for his close family and friends to enjoy. While the world would come to know Warhol for his ‘Pop Art’, these rare pre-pop treasures act as an intimate reminder of his early beginnings prior to his radical redefining of 20th-century art.
 |
Warhol’s trademark blotted line technique is created by tracing pencil sketches onto non absorbent paper, wetting the lines with ink, and then pressing them onto absorbent sheets, to create tender broken lines. This printmaking technique allowed Warhol to reproduce templates for his friends and family to hand colour with vibrant washes, with the result that no two copies of the same book are exactly alike.
These works not only used early versions of his blotted line technique, but they also reveal a deeply personal, unguarded side to Warhol. Underneath the innocent fairy tale illustrations, there are playful erotic undertones to the images. Here is an artist at the jumping off point of a stellar career.
View the Summer Show until August 31st 2026
