Andy Warhol
Physiological Diagram
1983-1984
Scroll
Andy Warhol
Physiological Diagram
1983-1984
Physical Qualities
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 116 x 200 in. (294.6 x 508 cm.)
Credit Line
Purchase with funds provided through the Pearlstone Family Fund; and partial gift of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
Object Number
1994.35
Warhol produced his Physiological Diagram series in the mid-1980s, a time that coincided with the outset of the public health crisis of HIV/AIDS, as well as the artist’s increasing awareness of his own aging body. Warhol had consistently demonstrated a reverence for the physical beauty of the subjects of his art as well as the circle of associates around his studio and gathering place known as the Factory. However, he found himself considerably weakened due to gunshot wounds sustained during a 1968 attempt on his life that left scars on his stomach. By the 1980s, he was following an exercise regimen and became interested in alternative, New Age medical practices and related imagery, such as the chart emphasizing the abdominal region that appears in this painting.
Joseph D. Ketner II, "Andy Warhol: The Last Decade," Milwaukee Art Museum, September 23, 2009-January 3, 2010; circulated to Museum of Modern Art, Fort Worth, February 15-May 15, 2010; Brooklyn Museum of Art, June 18-September 12, 2010; and The Baltimore Museum of Art, October 17, 2010-January 9, 2011 [shown only at Baltimore].
John Dorsey, "BMA acquires 18 Warhols," "The Sun," Baltimore, Maryland, May 5, 1994, pp. 1A, 25A.
Ketner II, Joseph D. Andy Warhol, The Last Decade. Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee Art Museum; Munich; New York: DelMonico Books/Prestel, 2009, page 40.
Inscribed: FRONT: clean; margin at top, in ink, 'PA 32.005'; at center left (two Warhol Estate stamps), at right (two Estate stamps)
