JOURNAL V: Andy Warhol’s Egg Abstractions
In the final decade of his life—an era often described as “one of the most unresolved” in his career—Andy Warhol turned inward, returning to abstraction with a quietly radical series of egg paintings. Far from the bold celebrity icons and commercial graphics that once defined him, these works offer a softer counterpoint: ovoid forms washed in pastel fields, a subtle reworking of Pop’s visual language.
Easter Eggs
1982
Andy Warhol
Artist, American, 1928 - 1987
Though a departure from his earlier iconography, the eggs remain unmistakably Warhol: bold blocks of vibrant pigment framed in graphic contrast, blending abstraction with a wink of Pop irreverence. Their simplicity belies a deeper shift in his practice. Encouraged by younger artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Peter Halley, and Keith Haring—whose bright, geometric styles defined the 1980s—Warhol re-engaged with painting, revisiting images he had once dismissed. The result: twenty-five or so enigmatic canvases, merging color-field sensibility with the cheerful banality of an Easter greeting card.
Eggs, 1982, by Andy Warhol.
Photograph: Andy Warhol, courtesy of DACS, 2022
Originally playful gifts for friends and family, Warhol’s eggs appeared in various hues—often set against stark black grounds—infused with both nostalgia and formal precision. Their pared-down geometry echoes his early illustrations of butterflies, cats, and holiday motifs, yet refracted through his later, Factory-honed aesthetic.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol
Eggs, executed 1984-1985
silver synthetic polymer and black silkscreen ink with oilstick on canvas
Alongside these paintings, Warhol’s Polaroid camera remained central to his daily practice. “Warhol’s principal tools for evading the grip of history were his camera...[it] became a means of staving off death and forgetfulness,” wrote one critic. The egg images—sometimes first captured in Polaroid—became part of a circular process: object to photograph, photograph to painting, image to icon.
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol
Easter Eggs
The result is a gentle inversion: eggs—symbols of origin, potential, and play—rendered in muted abstraction. In works like Eggs, 1982 (multi), we sense both whimsy and detachment, humor and ambiguity. Warhol reclaimed the unpretentious, transformed it into a space for aesthetic exploration, and in doing so, reminded us that even the simplest shapes can carry enduring mystery.
ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Eggs
four unique polaroid prints
each: 4¼ x 3 3/8 in. (10.8 x 8.6 cm.)
Executed circa 1984.
