05/11/2001

At the end of October the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, New York, arranged a licensing deal for the printing of some of his most well-known images on domestic products such as tableware, bed linen and sportswear. The success obtained over the years by licensing the reproduction of works for items available in museum shops, such as postcard and calendars, encouraged the Foundation to expand the programme in order to increase the proceeds. This merchandising strategy will provide millions of dollars for the Foundation, established by the Warhol estate after the artist’s death in 1987 in aid of young artists. In line with a statement by Andy Warhol ‘When you think about it, department stores are kind of like museums’, the scheme will bring museum images to the stores. The new items will be available for retail in America and Europe from next year. (Luisa Vassallo)