Recovered Warhol Piece Finds a Home
Spritmuseum and the Absolut Art Collection recently recovered the lost companion piece of the original Andy Warhol artwork for Absolut Vodka. It is entitled “Absolut Warhol Blue”.
The painting was one of two Warhol pieces commissioned in 1985, when Vin & Sprit AB created what was to become one of the world’s best-known advertising campaigns for its brand, Absolut Vodka. Between 1985 and 2004, 550 artists from around the world were commissioned to create portraits based on the inimitable vodka bottle outline.
Andy Warhol was the first artist brought on board. His piece “Absolut Warhol” quickly became an iconic symbol of the Swedish state-owned company’s US advertising campaign. Vin & Sprit AB commissioned two paintings from Warhol, but only one was reproduced as an advert. The other was forgotten, and when the Swedish state donated the collection to Spritmuseum in 2008 in conjunction with the sale of Vin & Sprit AB, it was not included.
When it suddenly appeared at an auction 35 years later, questions arose about its ownership, causing the piece to be recalled from the auction.
Realizing that this might be the lost Warhol piece, Spritmuseum launched a thorough investigation of its ownership. As the investigation proceeded, it quickly became clear that this, in fact, was the other Warhol.
“Spritmuseum was able to prove that this was the painting commissioned in 1985 but not included when the collection was handed over to the museum,” says Museum Director Ingrid Leffler. “We are grateful and happy to be able to reunite Absolut Warhol’s companion piece with the rest of the collection.”
“For us, it feels fantastic that this essential artwork has come home,” says Mia Sundberg, curator of the collection. “We’re currently looking at how to publicly exhibit ‘Absolut Warhol Blue’ as soon as possible.”
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
