Lincoln Center Ticket (FS II.242)

Andy Warhol’s Lincoln Center Ticket (F. & S. II.242) was created in 1967 as a promotional poster for the Fifth New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center. Commissioned by the Lincoln Center List Art Poster and published in a limited edition, the work captures Warhol’s bold graphic style and his fascination with commercial imagery.
The screenprint depicts a close-up image of a torn film festival ticket, enlarged dramatically and rendered in vivid, eye-catching colors—typically bright pinks, oranges, and blues. By transforming an everyday object into a large-scale artwork, Warhol elevates the mundane into the iconic, a hallmark of his Pop Art approach.
The torn edges and visible creases of the ticket are intentionally preserved in the design, emphasizing the texture and imperfection of a used item. This adds a sense of realism and immediacy, contrasting with the flatness of the screenprint technique. The imagery also hints at themes of access, consumption, and culture, turning the act of attending a film festival into a visual spectacle.
Both a functional design and a fine art print, Lincoln Center Ticket reflects Warhol’s ability to blur the boundaries between advertising, mass media, and high art. It stands as a vibrant celebration of the arts, while also critiquing the commercialization of cultural institutions.