THE MAKING OF AFTER WARHOL
Alexander Heinrici
Revered in the world of screenprinting, Alexander Heinrici was Andy Warhol’s silkscreen printer of choice, and is still much in demand to this day. Working out of his studio in Brooklyn, NYC, he has collaborated with art world heavyweights such as Damien Hirst. Fast-forward to today, and Paul is the only artist with whom Alexander is working to create what the world’s leading scholar on Andy Warhol has called ‘posthumous Warhol’ screen prints. Alongside Alexander Heinrici, Paul has brought Warhol’s original acetates to life. Bought at an auction in London and authenticated by the Andy Warhol Museum, these items are the last materials to have been worked on by Warhol by hand before the mechanical process of silkscreen printing began. Faithfully following Warhol’s method, Paul enlarged the original acetate before transferring the image to a larger canvas and using a squeegee to press the inks through a screen. Arguably, Paul feels more strongly invested in replicating each stage of Warhol’s practice with unwavering conviction than the artist himself would have deemed necessary. From travelling far and wide to source the same canvases and pigments for After Warhol and working alongside Alexander Heinrici. Paul’s efforts were rewarded when the world’s leading Warholian authority, Professor Rainer Crone stated: ‘These are fantastic, they are in Warhol’s concept… In my expertise [sic] opinion paintings made with these film positives under described circumstances and executed posthumously by professionals (scholars as well as painters) are authentic Andy Warhol paintings.’
“IT HAS BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO HAVE COLLABORATED WITH ALEXANDER. THE LAST TEN YEARS HAVE BEEN LIKE AN APPRENTICESHIP, AND I’VE ACCESSED A BOX OF SECRETS OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO WORK ALONGSIDE ANDY WARHOL. I’VE ABSORBED ALL I CAN FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS THERE ORIGINALLY, AND IT’S FANTASTIC THAT HE COULD INFORM MY ARTISTIC PROCESS.” – PAUL STEPHENSON
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