Andy Warhol

Resting Boy

About this artwork

Warhol’s voyeuristic interest in the male body can be seen throughout his oeuvre, especially in films such as ‘Sleep’ of 1963 and in his stitched photographs of 1986. This fascination is first seen in his early line drawings of young men from the mid to late 1950s, of which many were included in his ‘Drawings for a Boy Book’ exhibition, at the Bodley Gallery in 1956. Here, Warhol depicts a young man with his eyes closed, apparently sleeping, which heightens the feeling of voyeurism. The style of Warhol’s boy drawings is similar to the work of Henri Matisse and Jean Cocteau, who both employed a reductive, linear drawing technique and whose work Warhol admired.

Updated before 2020

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  • artist:
    Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987) American
  • title:
    Resting Boy
  • date created:
    1955 - 1957
  • materials:
    Ink on paper
  • measurements:
    41.80 x 34.50 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund, 2008
  • accession number:
    AR00272
  • gallery:
This artwork is part of Artist Rooms
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Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol