Cowboys and Indians by Andy Warhol
Cowboys and Indians by Andy Warhol
In Cowboys and Indians by Andy Warhol, Warhol’s work creates a commentary on mass media and the way in which contrived imagery can affect how we understand our history. Images of Geronimo, Annie Oakley and Mother and Child are based on characters in the Hollywood adaptation of our history and do not truly represent the roles that these real individuals historically played.
Warhol interspersed recognizable portraits of well-known American “heroes”–John Wayne, Annie Oakley, Teddy Roosevelt, and General George Custer–with less familiar Native American images and motifs in his ironic commentary on Americans’ collective mythologizing of the historic West. Rather than portraying Native Americans within their historical landscape or Cowboys in their veritable forms, Warhol chose to portray a popular, romanticized version of the American West. The West that he chose to represent is familiar to everyone and can be seen in novels, films, TV series. Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians Suite is an ahistorical representation that mirrors a popular interpretation of the American West.
Andy Warhol created the Cowboys and Indians series during the mid-1980s, arguably his most prolific period. During this time, Warhol was forming bonds with a number of younger artists in the New York art scene including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Julian Schnabel and David Salle. Warhol saw a re-emergence of critical and financial success during this period of his life.
Artwork

Geronimo FS II.384 by Andy Warhol
Geronimo FS II.384 by Andy Warhol

General Custer by Andy Warhol
General Custer by Andy Warhol

Mother and Child F.S. II 383 TP by Andy Warhol
Mother and Child F.S. II 383 TP by Andy Warhol

Sitting Bull by Andy Warhol
Sitting Bull by Andy Warhol

Annie Oakley by Andy Warhol
Annie Oakley by Andy Warhol

Northwest Coast Mask by Andy Warhol
Northwest Coast Mask by Andy Warhol

Teddy Roosevelt by Andy Warhol
Teddy Roosevelt by Andy Warhol

Plains Indian Shield by Andy Warhol
Plains Indian Shield by Andy Warhol

Bonnet Indian by Andy Warhol
Bonnet Indian by Andy Warhol

Buffalo Nickel by Andy Warhol
Buffalo Nickel by Andy Warhol

Mother and Child by Andy Warhol
Mother and Child by Andy Warhol

Indian Head Nickel by Andy Warhol
Indian Head Nickel by Andy Warhol

Kachina Dolls by Andy Warhol
Kachina Dolls by Andy Warhol

Action Picture by Andy Warhol
Action Picture by Andy Warhol

John Wayne by Andy Warhol
John Wayne by Andy Warhol
Exhibitions
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Warhol Portraits: An Exhibition
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Andy Warhol: Death and Disaster
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Now on View: Warhol, Lichtenstein, Kaws, Hirst and Banksy
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Pop Flowers: Now Available
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Guy Hepner Chelsea Now Open
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Warhol: The Last Decade
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Watercolors and Drawings of the 1950’s
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Mao by Andy Warhol and David LaChapelle
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