At once provocative, ironic, and visually bold, Andy Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians series stands as one of the artist’s final and most culturally layered bodies of work. Created just a year before his death, the 14-piece screenprint portfolio offers a pop-infused meditation on American identity, history, and mythology. Through bold color, repetition, and iconic imagery, Warhol merges fact with fantasy, revealing how the American West has been packaged, consumed, and mythologized in popular culture.
While Warhol is often associated with Marilyn Monroe, Campbell’s soup cans, and Brillo boxes, Cowboys and Indians reveals a deeper and more politically nuanced side of his practice. Here, he juxtaposes Hollywood stars like John Wayne and romanticized figures like Annie Oakley with real historical leaders including Sitting Bull, Geronimo, and Teddy Roosevelt.
One of the most striking prints in the series is General Custer, a fluorescent portrayal of the infamous cavalry commander whose legacy is still debated today. Warhol renders him with bright swaths of color and simplified outlines, turning a complicated figure into a pop icon.
By titling the series Cowboys and Indians, Warhol draws directly from the simplistic binaries of Hollywood Westerns. Yet his presentation is anything but simple. These prints invite viewers to question the authenticity of the stories they’ve been told, challenging the way America remembers and romanticizes its past.
Warhol never visited the American West, but that distance only heightened his fascination. He sourced images from postcards, history books, and mass media, deliberately working from secondhand references to emphasize the disconnect between myth and reality. In doing so, Cowboys and Indians becomes not only a series of portraits, but a critique of how American history is curated and sold.
Today, Cowboys and Indians remains a highly collectible and culturally resonant Warhol series. It bridges the worlds of Pop Art and historical commentary, reminding us that in the age of image, legends are often more powerful than truth.
At Hakimi Fine Art, we are proud to present select works from this iconic series. For collectors seeking Warhol pieces that go beyond the familiar and delve into America’s complex narrative, Cowboys and Indians offers a compelling and enduring opportunity.