Andy Warhol Posters 'n' Pop

The Portrayal of Mickey Mouse by Andy Warhol

In 1981, Andy Warhol strayed from his conventional work, which consisted mainly of portraying celebrities, and decided to create a portfolio of 10 screen prints of fictional characters, including the ultra-famous Mickey Mouse; the whole became known as the Myth series. The subjects of these screen prints, most of which originating from old Hollywood movies and 1950’s and 60’s television shows, include the likes of Uncle Sam, Superman, Howdy Doody, Dracula, and Santa Claus, but Mickey Mouse undoubtedly stands out amongst the others as he continues to hold a special place in people’s hearts.

Andy Warhol’s Myth Series and Mickey Mouse
Andy Warhol soon recognized the fact that Mickey Mouse was a huge icon in pop culture and so made him an integral part of his Myth series. Warhol wanted to reflect

the origins of cinema and present fantasy characters that were loved by millions of people worldwide. Mickey was the perfect choice, and the end result was a 38” by 38” screen print on a Lenox Museum Board with Diamond Dust. In the lower left corner of the artwork, Warhol numbered and hand signed the screen print.

To avoid copyright difficulties, Warhol photographed models dressed up as the fictional characters of his choice, and slightly rearranged specific attributes of those characters. He was then able use his personal photographs.

The main reason why the Mickey Mouse screen print and the rest of the Myth series were so successful is not due to the difficulty or uniqueness of the art, but because of the particular American pop culture imagery that was chosen as subject matter. People viewing these prints enjoy them because they recognize the character and recollect the pleasant memories that are associated with these wonderful icons.

Most of the fictional characters reproduced by Andy Warhol are either loved by children all over the world or are an important part of American culture in some shape or form.

Who is Mickey Mouse
Created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, Mickey Mouse soon became the most widely recognizable cartoon character of all time. Mickey appeared in countless movies, comic strips, commercials, musicals, video games, TV shows, and many other forms of media. Mickey has continued to entertain millions of people for over 80 years. In 1978, Hollywood acknowledged Mickey’s influence on American pop culture by making him the first cartoon character in history to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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