Andy Warhol American , 1928-1987
Fish , 1983
Screenprint in colours
106 x 76.2 x 0.1 cm
Stamped by artist's estate, Estate of Andy Warhol and the Andy Warhol Foundation ink stamps verso.
Copyright The Artist
Andy Warhol’s 'Fish' (Feldmann & Schellmann III.A.39) is a vibrant colour screenprint from 1983, recorded in the authoritative catalogue raisonné of Warhol’s prints by Frayda Feldman and Jörg Schellmann. The...
Andy Warhol’s 'Fish' (Feldmann & Schellmann III.A.39) is a vibrant colour screenprint from 1983, recorded in the authoritative catalogue raisonné of Warhol’s prints by Frayda Feldman and Jörg Schellmann.
The work was originally created as part of the backdrop for Warhol’s 1983–84 exhibition Paintings for Children at the Bruno Bischofberger Gallery in Zurich, where 'Fish' was used as wallpaper to transform the gallery into an immersive, almost aquarium-like space. This approach is typical of Warhol’s later practice, in which he enjoyed dissolving the boundaries between fine art, decoration and exhibition design. Rather than being conceived simply as a framed print on the wall, 'Fish' operates both as a decorative surface and a confident artistic statement, taking an instantly recognisable subject and placing it firmly within Pop Art’s fascination with everyday imagery and mass culture.
Warhol’s choice of fish fits neatly within his wider habit of elevating ordinary, often overlooked motifs through bold colour, repetition and scale. These are strategies that echo the visual language of advertising and consumer culture that is so central to Pop Art. While the work doesn’t come with a fixed narrative or overt symbolism, its use in an exhibition aimed at younger audiences suggests a playful intention, encouraging viewers to experience art as an environment rather than a single image. In this way, 'Fish' captures a key aspect of Warhol’s later work: a lightness of touch that celebrates the familiar while subtly transforming it into something immersive, unexpected and visually compelling.
The work was originally created as part of the backdrop for Warhol’s 1983–84 exhibition Paintings for Children at the Bruno Bischofberger Gallery in Zurich, where 'Fish' was used as wallpaper to transform the gallery into an immersive, almost aquarium-like space. This approach is typical of Warhol’s later practice, in which he enjoyed dissolving the boundaries between fine art, decoration and exhibition design. Rather than being conceived simply as a framed print on the wall, 'Fish' operates both as a decorative surface and a confident artistic statement, taking an instantly recognisable subject and placing it firmly within Pop Art’s fascination with everyday imagery and mass culture.
Warhol’s choice of fish fits neatly within his wider habit of elevating ordinary, often overlooked motifs through bold colour, repetition and scale. These are strategies that echo the visual language of advertising and consumer culture that is so central to Pop Art. While the work doesn’t come with a fixed narrative or overt symbolism, its use in an exhibition aimed at younger audiences suggests a playful intention, encouraging viewers to experience art as an environment rather than a single image. In this way, 'Fish' captures a key aspect of Warhol’s later work: a lightness of touch that celebrates the familiar while subtly transforming it into something immersive, unexpected and visually compelling.
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