Eight Elvises

Andy Warhol silkscreened Elvis Presley as a silver gunslinger eight times across this long horizontal canvas. The image comes from a publicity still for "Flaming Star," with Elvis pointing a pistol directly at the viewer. The repetition and slight overlapping create a cinematic sense of motion.

Warhol conflated two American obsessions: celebrity and violence. The silver background evokes movie screens and tabloid glamour. In 2008, the painting sold for over $100 million, cementing Warhol's status in the art market stratosphere. The multiple Elvises blur individual identity into mass-produced icon.

The work in a private collection.