Andy Warhol’s Christmas

During the 1950s when Andy Warhol worked as a commercial designer, Warhol made hundreds of personal Christmas drawings and greeting card graphics for clients, most notably Tiffany & Co. 

In fact, a substantial portion of the legendary pop artist’s oeuvre explores this seasonal theme, and come to think of it, this might not be out of character. After all, the notions of togetherness and friendship were very important to the artist. Additionally, anybody that’s read anything about Warhol will know that he loved the chance to celebrate. The parties at Warhol’s Factory have become modern myths, and it goes without saying that the Christmas season offers plenty of chances to meet others. However, most pertinent in regards to Warhol’s body of work is the culture of consumerism that has come to define the modern tradition of Christmas celebrations. But Warhol was also a deeply religious man—an aspect of the artist’s life that is often overlooked. As the son of Slovakian immigrants, Warhol was raised as a Catholic. Moreover, the commercial artist was also known to have volunteered regularly at homeless shelters.

Warhol kept on producing artworks for Christmas season all his life, from ink-and-paper drawing, wrapping paper or polaroids of Santa, poinsettias or of the Last Supper.