Mammy | 1981, signed Andy Warhol offset lithographic print from the 'Myths' Series

Andy Warhol’s Mammy reinterprets a deeply entrenched racial stereotype, engaging with its long history in American pop culture. The Mammy figure, popularized through films like Gone with the Wind, served as a comforting yet reductive portrayal of Black domestic workers, reinforcing racial hierarchies while masking historical realities. Unlike Warhol’s earlier works that fixated on contemporary fame, this piece belongs to his later period, where he examined figures from mass media and collective memory. By including Mammy in his Myths series, Warhol confronts the endurance of racial archetypes in American culture, blurring the line between commercial iconography and historical critique. His depiction forces viewers to reconsider how such images persist and evolve, highlighting the complex relationship between nostalgia and cultural mythmaking.

This piece is an offset lithographic color print on card, signed in white marker pen and stamped “Andy Warhol” on the verso. Published in 1981 in collaboration with Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, it measures 17.8 x 17.8 cm. These prints were originally produced as promotional cards for Warhol’s Myths series rather than as formal limited editions, making signed examples particularly scarce.