Spring Two-Day Auction May 6-7, 2023

ANDY WARHOL, 1974, Published as INSTANT WARHOL in the June, 1974 Playboy.
Four (4) part Set of Separately Framed Polaroid Photo Collages; along with copies of the 1974 Playboy to Warhol Photo Assignment, a copy of the 1974 Playboy Check to Andy Warhol and an original letter from Playboy explaining the Warhol photographs. Also included with the provenance are other receipts, the Original Playboy Magazines (1974 and 1990) that featured the photographs and a copy of the 1974 Embossed Self Portrait of Andy Warhol in a mirror, that Warhol shot for Playboy of himself with a Polaroid Camera, published in both 1974 and again in 1990.
The auction estimate is $400,000 - $500,000.

SANTA MONICA AUCTIONS at Bergamot Station Arts Center will be holding a two-day auction beginning on Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7, starting at 1pm each day. Saturday’s session will feature Photography, while Sunday will showcase Contemporary and Modern Art across all mediums, including paintings, drawings, sculpture, and multiples.

A major highlight of the Saturday, May 6 Photography Auction will be four framed Andy Warhol Polaroid Collages, consisting of 66 photographs—15 collages plus one individual Polaroid—commissioned by Hugh Hefner and first published in Playboy, August 1974. These are believed to be the first Fine Art Polaroid Collages ever made. The works remained in the collection of Playboy and were de-accessed over a 20-year period. Three of the four framed works were featured and exhibited at the Andy Warhol Museum from October 3, 2008 to February 13, 2009, and at that time were insured by the Museum at a value of $300,000.

The four framed collages were acquired by our consignors over several decades, and this marks the first time they have been auctioned as a complete set. These works are currently on display and available for preview at our Bergamot Station location.