African Elephant (FS II.293)

African Elephant (FS II.293) is part of Andy Warhol’s celebrated “Endangered Species” portfolio, created in 1983. This screenprint exemplifies Warhol’s signature Pop Art style—bold colors, simplified forms, and striking contrasts—used here to highlight an urgent environmental message rather than his usual focus on celebrity culture or consumer goods.
The composition features a monumental African elephant, its massive form rendered in vibrant hues of pink, turquoise, and orange. Warhol’s expressive color blocking and layered outlines lend the animal both dignity and vulnerability, transforming it into a modern icon. The image captures the tension between beauty and fragility, echoing the species’ threatened status due to poaching and habitat loss.
Commissioned by Ronald and Frayda Feldman Fine Arts, the Endangered Species series includes ten prints, each depicting a different at-risk animal. Warhol once referred to these creatures as the “animals in makeup”, drawing a parallel between his famous celebrity portraits and these natural subjects—both facing extinction in their own ways.
A rare blend of Pop Art aesthetics and environmental advocacy, African Elephant (FS II.293) stands as a poignant reminder of Warhol’s ability to fuse social commentary with his instantly recognizable visual language.