In 1983, Andy Warhol was invited by his longtime Swiss dealer Bruno Bischofberger to create something just for children at his eponymous gallery in Zurich.

The result was a magical exhibition ‘Paintings for Children’, where small paintings were hung at children’s eye level and Warhol created a new wallpaper featuring shimmering silver fish turning the gallery space into an aquarium. The wallpaper was later used as inspiration for a rare editioned artwork, three fish per sheet, directly inspired by the exhibition.

The work is a superlative example of Warhol’s later practice in which he enjoyed dissolving the boundaries between fine art, decoration and exhibition design. He has taken an instantly recognisable, ordinary subject and placed it firmly within Pop Art’s fascination with everyday imagery and mass culture.