Andy Warhol Jacqueline Kennedy I (Jackie I) 1966 Screenprint Edition of 200

Artist: Andy Warhol
Title: Jacqueline Kennedy I (Jackie I), from the 11 Pop Artists I Portfolio
Medium: Screenprint on Paper
Edition: 179/200
Publisher: Original Editions
Printer: KMF (Knickerbocker Machine & Foundry, Inc), New York, New York
Size: 24"h x 20"w
Frame Size: 29"h x 24"w
Year: 1966
Inscription: Artist stamp with signature and edition number on verso
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
Literature: Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonne, Frayda Feldman and Jorg Schellmann, illustration, 11.13
Provenance: Michael Glassner, New York; Private Collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Andy Warhol's "Jacqueline Kennedy I" (Jackie I), from the 11 Pop Artists I Portfolio (1966) occupies a critical position within the artist's exploration of celebrity, media, and political iconography during the 1960s. Warhol (1928–1987) emerged as a defining figure of the Pop Art movement by transforming everyday imagery and mass media into highly stylized, reproducible works of art. His depictions of public figures, particularly those entwined with contemporary American culture and history, interrogate the intersections of fame, representation, and commodification. In "Jacqueline Kennedy I", Warhol captures the essence of a figure whose public persona had become emblematic of grace, tragedy, and the evolving visual language of political celebrity.

Executed in the period immediately following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, this work demonstrates Warhol's characteristic approach to portraiture: the distillation of photographic sources into high-contrast, bold forms through silkscreen printing.  Warhol's rendering of Jacqueline Kennedy conveys both her individuality and her symbolic status as a public icon, reflecting the broader cultural fascination with celebrity imagery in mid-twentieth-century America. The work's exemplifies Warhol's ongoing investigation into how mechanical reproduction shapes perception and meaning.

"Jacqueline Kennedy I" is part of the 11 Pop Artists I portfolio, a collection that situates Warhol alongside other leading figures of the Pop Art movement and underscores his engagement with contemporary media and commercial processes. The work is a screenprint on paper, produced in an edition of 179/200 and printed by KMF (Knickerbocker Machine & Foundry, Inc.), New York, New York, while being published by Original Editions in 1966. The sheet measures 24" in height by 20" in width, with a framed size of 29" by 24". The print bears the artist's stamp with signature and edition number on the verso and is accompanied by a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity. It is also documented in Andy Warhol Prints: A Catalogue Raisonne by Frayda Feldman and Jorg Schellmann (illustration 11.13). This work has an unbroken record of provenance, previously acquired by Michael Glassner, New York, and a private collector in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Through "Jacqueline Kennedy I", Warhol transforms the image of a public figure into a lasting visual study of iconography, mass media, and cultural memory. The work exemplifies his mastery of the silkscreen process and his ability to render celebrity as both subject and symbol, establishing a dialogue between art, society, and the mechanisms of fame that remains influential in contemporary visual culture.

About Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol (1928–1987) was an American artist, filmmaker, and cultural icon, widely recognized as a leading figure of the Pop Art movement. Renowned for his groundbreaking approach to art and mass culture, Warhol transformed everyday consumer products, celebrity imagery, and media icons into high art, challenging conventional boundaries between fine art, commercial art, and popular culture.

Born Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Warhol studied commercial art at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University). He began his career as a commercial illustrator in New York City, where his clean lines, bold compositions, and innovative techniques quickly gained attention. By the early 1960s, Warhol emerged as a pioneering force in Pop Art, creating iconic works such as the Campbell's Soup Cans, Marilyn Monroe portraits, and Brillo Boxes, which combined repetition, bright color, and screen printing to interrogate the relationship between consumerism, media, and identity.

Warhol's distinctive artistic approach emphasized both concept and technique. He famously employed silkscreen printing, allowing him to produce multiple iterations of the same image while experimenting with color variations and visual layering. His work explored themes of fame, death, consumer culture, and the commodification of everyday objects, creating a visual language that remains instantly recognizable and highly influential.

Warhol's work is included in major collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and the Tate Modern, London. His legacy endures as one of the most recognizable and commercially significant artists of the twentieth century, whose exploration of repetition, mass production, and cultural iconography continues to shape the visual landscape of contemporary art.