Paul Stephenson

More than 30 years after Andy Warhol’s death in 1987, his art continues to be reproduced around the world. But one artist is taking this to a new level: London-based Paul Stephenson, who after acquiring the original acetates has produced what experts have termed ‘authentic Warhol paintings’. Created using Warhol's original acetates and techniques in collaboration with the artist's original screen printer, the hand-pulled silkscreens feature four of the most iconic images of the 20th century.

In collaboration with Warhol’s original screenprinter, Alexander Heinrici, Paul has reproduced four of the Pop Art founder’s most iconic artworks for his new collection, After Warhol. His drive for authenticity led him to source the same materials and follow Warhol’s technique exactly, creating ‘posthumous Warhols’ akin to those currently on display at the Andy Warhol Museum.

Paul’s 10-year project has been featured by the BBC and VICE Magazine, with leading Warhol expert Rainer Crone stating that the works should be considered amongst those created by the artist himself.

Created using Warhol’s original acetate, After Warhol: Uniques comprises 40 large-scale silkscreen colourways of ‘Jackie’, which was created in response to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on 22nd November 1963. Captivated by Jackie’s timeless glamour in the thousands of photographs subsequently printed in newspapers and magazines, Warhol worked with his assistant Gerard Malanga on his artistic representation of this historical moment.

Between May and November 1964, Warhol created over 300 paintings of Jackie, including this particular image, which is based on a portrait created by the official photographer for the Kennedy presidential campaign, Jacques Lowe. Changing the angle of Jackie’s face and cropping her hair, Warhol sought to capture her elegance and power through a modern mechanical process.

This process has been followed meticulously by Paul, whose work has been featured by the likes of Vice, The Times and the BBC. From working with Warhol’s original printer on previous collections to sourcing the exact materials used by the Pop Ar t founder, Paul’s faithful rendering led his ar t to be titled ‘posthumous Warhols’ by the late Warholian expert Rainer Crone.

Displayed at galleries like the Tate and the Museum of Modern Art, Andy Warhol's Cow series has become one of the Pop Art founder's most iconic and instantly recognisable editions.

Between 1966 and 1976, the cows were created as wallpapers for Warhol’s exhibitions. For his 1966 show at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York, a single room was adorned from floor to ceiling with the fluorescent pink and yellow colourway. Transcending decorative and artistic genres, these wallpapers – which Karp described as “blazingly bright and vulgar” – were displayed in institutes such as the Whitney Museum in New York and the Modern Art Pavilion in Seattle.

Here, visitors were surrounded by the striking simplicity of the repeated imagery, which signified Warhol’s unique take on commercialisation and mass production. Single cows were sometimes spliced from the wallpaper and signed by Warhol, who used this image to subvert the timelessness of the pastoral subject and wryly comment on the use of fine art as wallpaper in people’s homes.

The humorous colour scheme lends the artworks a feeling of excitement, which inspired Paul to create this collection during a time of anxiety and uncertainty. Intended to bring viewers hope and laughter, the silkscreens on paper each relate to a specific Warhol exhibition, giving them a place in the narrative of art history.