The Kiss (Bela Lugosi)

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• karenb. asked

  Hello, did Warhol get permission to use the still of Bela Lugosi when he made his artwork? Thanks, KB

• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

  Dear Karen, thank you for your interesting question. Unfortunately we do not have information about the eventual copyright issues that Warhol had to deal with. If rights were an issue at the time, he probably cleared them. I could also imagine, however, that Warhol's work was embraced by the film company as it promoted an almost forgotten hero of the white screen. Kind regards, Els

• frank arling asked

  What is the signifigance of this work comparing it to other works of Warhol?

• Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen answered

  Dear Frank, we could write a whole book on this question! But here's a 'short' answer: In the 1960s Warhol began to make these kinds of silk-screen paintings, mimicking the commercial methods of mass production. Warhol’s adaptation of the silk-screen technique established his revolutionary contribution to both art history and contemporary art. Warhol favored a mass-produced, machine-like look over visibility of the artist’s hand. Warhol was also very interested in the cult of celebrity; the subjects he chose are often iconic images from the world of film (here we see the actor Bela Lugosi), music and art. Warhol’s silkscreen paintings reflect America’s obsession with celebrity and tragedy, in a world more and more defined by popular mass media. The museum's director Wim Beeren purchased 'The Kiss' in 1979 because he believed Warhol, 'represented par excellence the relationship between the media and art'. Best, Tanja van Oostrum