Andy Warhol's Trump Tower
Andy Warhol was always interested in celebrity, commercialization, and iconography. In 1981, before Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue was completed, these varied interests mixed as Donald Trump called the artist over to commission paintings for the lobby of his upcoming development. Warhol used the opportunity to paint the building — or a photograph of a model showing its final form, as it was still under construction — like a portrait in black, silver, and gold, with "diamond dust" thrown on the canvas before the paint dried to give it a glimmering quality. Trump was not happy with the resulting works, reportedly never paid for them, and several, including this one, ended up in the hands of a European collector. Measuring 50.25" x 42.125", the work blurs the line between architectural rendering, personal identity, and cultural commentary, and is up for auction at Phillips.