Andy Warhol: Sarah Bernhardt

“I’ve never met a person I couldn’t call a beauty,” [Andy Warhol](/artist/andy-warhol) famously wrote in 1975. Indeed, Warhol’s silkscreen portraits are almost always idealized, portraying his subject’s features in simplified, colorful shapes. Muses for Warhol’s iconic portraits include the actresses [Marilyn Monroe](/artist-series/andy-warhol-marilyn-monroe), Elizabeth Taylor, and Ingrid Bergman; the musicians Elvis Presley, [Mick Jagger](/artist-series/andy-warhol-mick-jagger), and Aretha Franklin; the political figures John F. Kennedy, Chairman [Mao](/artist-series/andy-warhol-mao), and Queen Elizabeth; and the New York socialites Olga Berde Mahl, Cindy Pritzker, and Georges Marciano. In addition to his celebrity portraits, Warhol also produced a number of [self-portraits](/artist-series/andy-warhol-self-portraits). Created just months before his death, his *Fright Wig* (1986) self-portraits are perhaps the most famous example, capturing the artist with a shocked expression staring at the viewer. The series is also among Warhol’s top auction highlights, surpassing $30 million in a Christie’s sale in 2018.