We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of NSW stands.

The American dream

Andy Warhol, Triple Elvis, 1963

Focus work

Andy Warhol
USA 1928–87
Triple Elvis 1963
screenprint ink, silver paint and spray paint on linen
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Gift of Sydney and Frances Lewis
© Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Licensed by ARS/ Viscopy, Sydney

Andy Warhol’s celebrity portraits based on mass-media photographs are among his most recognisable works. From 1962, Warhol abandoned hand-painting for screenprinting, preferring a ‘manufactured’ aesthetic. The Elvis Presley he presents here is not the hip-shaking musician, but Elvis the actor playing a role in the 1960 movie Flaming star.

Warhol produced this painting for an exhibition in Los Angeles – the home of America’s entertainment industry. The metallic background references the silver screen, while the multiplied image creates a sense of cinematic motion. This visual repetition also comments on the constructed nature of celebrity. Warhol shows us that Elvis the man has become a mere product, a mass-marketed idol cast as a popular stereotype.

See also

This work also appears in the adult (7-12) audio guide, available for rent.

Issues for consideration

  • How has Andy Warhol portrayed Elvis Presley in Triple Elvis? Do you think this is a good portrait? Discuss your point of view, taking into consideration both the aims of the artist and your response to the work. How do you think audiences of the time would have responded?
  • What is a ‘manufactured’ aesthetic? How is it relevant to Warhol’s practice? Does this approach push the boundaries of art?
  • Is American pop art a celebration of popular culture or a critical commentary on how consumerism and mass media reshaped the American way of life? Debate in class.