Source: Antiques Roadshow: "Andy Warhol Napkin Drawing, ca. 1983"
A full Teacher's Guide accompanies this video on the Antiques Roadshow Web site.
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The subject of this video produced for Antiques Roadshow is a food-stained napkin with doodles of butterflies signed by the late, 20th Century pop-artist Andy Warhol. The napkin may have come from Diana Vreeland, one of Warhol's closest friends back in 1983 and 1984. Kathleen Guzman, appraiser of paintings and drawings, appears confident that the signature is genuine and suggests an astonishing value for the napkin if the owner were to get it authenticated by the Andy Warhol Foundation.
Download OnlyCan you imagine a doodle on a food-stained napkin being worth $30,000? It all depends on who created the sketch. In this Antiques Roadshow video, the owner of a sketch of three butterflies explains that he received the drawing as collateral for a loan to an artist. The artist told him that the sketch had been drawn by Andy Warhol, one of the most famous artists of the late 20th century. Often described as "the father of pop art," Warhol is best known for his brightly colored screen prints and large paintings, including depictions of Campbell's soup cans and celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy.
The appraiser urged the owner of the napkin to have the sketch authenticated. She predicted that the napkin would be deemed a genuine Warhol.
KATHLEEN GUZMAN, Appraiser: You have this very unusual napkin. Tell me how you got this.
GUEST: Well, I got it in 1998 as a collateral for a loan that I gave to another artist. And the loan was never paid and this is what I...
GUZMAN: How did he get it?
GUEST: He got it at a... I think it was Diana Vreeland, but it was a big name like that at a big ballroom, a big show in December of '83 and I guess he did this on the spot.
GUZMAN: Well, absolutely a hundred-percent Warhol. We've looked at the signatures and we've compared them with others and it's really a marvelous thing. Everyone knows Warhol as a pop icon and a commercial name in the house of art. And one of his closest friends in the ladies who lunched was Diana Vreeland. When his factory was at 860, he did a portrait of her in the years around '83,'84. So, it's certainly possible that it could date around that time. He did flowers and butterflies and it's just a really charming piece. And it looks like we even have some original food stains on it.
GUEST: It is. His DNA.
GUZMAN: Now, if it is not authenticated by the Andy Warhol Foundation, whether or not it is authentic, it doesn't exist in the world of Andy Warhol. What you would need to do is take really good pictures of the front and back and send it to the Andy Warhol Foundation. They do not charge for this service, but it will take time, usually about six months, before they get back to you and they research it. But it's well worth the investment in time. The certification of this is everything. What did you say you paid for this?
GUEST: The loan was $1,500.
GUZMAN: $1,500. Well, it is certainly a fabulous thing, and if certified by the foundation, you would easily get $20,000 to $30,000 at auction for this piece.
GUEST: Oh, really? Oh. (laughs)
GUZMAN: So, do your homework and I think you're going to have a great payday.
GUEST: Well, thank you.
GUZMAN: Thanks for bringing it in.
GUEST: Thank you so much. (laughs) Wow.
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