Belonging to Andy Warhol's 1986 'Cowboys and Indians' portfolio, the present work explores the American West and its portrayal in Hollywood, juxtaposing notable Western figures including Teddy Roosevelt with Native American motifs. In this work, Warhol represents a stylised version of a mask worn for cultural celebrations in indigenous communities. Often representing local spirits and used in rituals intended to connect the wearer to the spiritual world, Warhol's mask evokes the American romanticisation of the Old West as an arena in which heroic narratives are played out, raising larger questions about the media's distortion of reality.

Screenprint in colours, 1986, on Lenox Museum Board, signed in pencil, numbered from the edition of 250 (there were also 50 artist's proofs), printed by Rupert Jason Smith, New York, published by Gaultney, Klineman Art, Inc., New York, with their ink stamp and the artist's copyright ink stamp, verso, 91.4 x 91.4 cm. (36 x 36 in.)


Feldman & Schellmann II.380