COUNT BASIE COUNT BASIE (1955)
“This was one of Warhol’s first celebrity portraits and the only one from the 50s. His drawing was modelled on a photo, and he used his blotted line technique. He captured Basie’s oval face and casual air. This portrait contrasts with Warhol’s later works, which, derived from photographs that captured serious, fixed expressions, gave Warhol control over certain features, such as eyelids, lips or hair. This portrait of Basie heralds the cult of celebrity that would come to characterise his later work.”