ANDY WARHOL X GUFRAM
Gufram presents new limited editions of its iconic CACTUS® in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation of Visual Arts
March 25, 2022
Milan, 28 March 2022 - The collaboration between Gufram and Andy Warhol is the transcription of the greatest pop artist’s vision into one of the most eccentric design icons of all time. A nonconformist who defied convention and forged his own pathway, the artist used the language of popular culture to transcend common ideas into sophisticated concepts - an ethos that is very much reflected in Gufram’s work. ANDY’S BLUE CACTUS®, ANDY’S PINK CACTUS® and ANDY’S YELLOW CACTUS®, each produced in a limited edition of 99 pieces, are the perfect translation of Andy Warhol’s prints into prickly design multiples.
“The Foundation is delighted to collaborate on this unique project which celebrates Warhol’s continued influence on contemporary culture.” States Michael Dayton Hermann, Director of Licensing, Marketing and Sales at the The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts, Inc. “Gufram’s unique creative vision unexpectedly transformed Warhol’s iconic silkscreen technique into three dimensions”.
Just like the other CACTUS® versions, the ANDY WARHOL x GUFRAM edition, presented on the 50 year anniversary of the world-recognised hall tree, is made from the original 1972 mould, and sculpted and hand finished by specialised artisans, making each piece unique. The 2,165 polyurethane bosses (give or take a few) that characterise the surface are then painted with Guflac®, Gufram’s patented paint that makes the surface look like leather, while still allowing it to remain flexible and soft.
“The collaboration between Gufram and Andy Warhol feels so right that it’s almost absurd that it has never happened before! Finally the pop art genius encountered CACTUS®, the most pop design icon” states Charley Vezza of Gufram. “We started off imagining how Warhol could have depicted the CACTUS® and then we created the 3D version by working with a trio of typically Warhol colors and highlighting their tips with black, just as in one of the artist’s screenprints. Three different CACTUS® were born, each completely finished by hand by Gufram’s artisans, thus making every piece unique. The more I look at them the more I imagine Andy entering the Gufram lab in 1970s Turin and exiting with a product just like this one… or maybe not!”
The new limited editions of CACTUS®, prickly, full of character and definitely a head turner, are a celebration of the values by which the Foundation stands: supporting works that are challenging in nature, promoting freedom of artistic expression, and valuing experimental artistic practice. Just as Warhol’s creative vision knew no boundaries and continues to inspire each new generation of creatives, at the same time the CACTUS® is also a confirmation of Gufram’s avant-garde mindset, its desire to push the limits of industrial design, its nonconformist experimentation linked to aesthetic, technological and material research, and its Radical Design spirit.
During the Milan Design Week, from Friday, June 3rd to Sunday, June 12th, La Triennale di Milano will host the celebrative exhibition “50 Years of Being a Cactus” dedicated to the three new editions of CACTUS®.
Editions:
ANDY’S BLUE CACTUS®, 1/99
ANDY’S YELLOW CACTUS®, 1/99
ANDY’S PINK CACTUS®, 1/99
NOTES TO THE EDITORS
ABOUT THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC.
As the preeminent American artist of the 20th century, Andy Warhol challenged the world to see art differently. Since its founding in 1987, in accordance with Warhol’s will, The Andy Warhol Foundation has established itself among the leading funders of contemporary art in the United States. The Foundation has distributed over $250,000,000 in cash grants which support the creation, presentation and documentation of contemporary visual arts, particularly work that is experimental, under-recognized or challenging in nature. The Foundation’s ongoing efforts to protect and enhance its founder’s creative legacy ensure that Warhol’s inventive, open-minded spirit will have a profound impact on the visual arts for generations to come. Proceeds the Foundation receives from licensing projects such as this contribute to the Foundation’s endowment from which these grants are distributed.