Cow Wallpaper

Warhol’s cow images—produced in various sizes, colors, and configurations—originated from a remark by New York art dealer Ivan Karp, who championed Pop Art at Leo Castelli Gallery in the 1960s. The artist later used the motif as wallpaper for exhibitions, playfully responding to art critic Harold Rosenberg’s warning that Abstract Expressionism’s “allover” style might result in “apocalyptic wallpaper.” The version on display here was created for Warhol’s 1971 exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Cow Wallpaper

1971

Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, Colorado State University

2006.367.2-3