Andy Warhol - Apple Screen Print (FS II.359) Trial Proof

Original Apple Trial Proof Print by Andy Warhol

From his 1985 Ads Complete Portfolio, Apple 359 Trial Proof is a unique version of a screenprint created by Andy Warhol, which appropriates the logo for Macintosh Computers. Warhol created trial proofs for almost every work he did in the 80s, and selected from among the variations to publish his regular edition prints. Consequently, Trial Proofs are all unique and limited in quantity, making them some of the most valuable and diverse prints from Warhol’s oeuvre.

In this artwork, the Apple logo, which is now as ubiquitous as the fruit itself, maintains the original design and rainbow color scheme, but Warhol adds his trademark sketched lines and vibrant hues to give the original design an unmistakably Warholian influence. He was commissioned by Del Yocam, the first COO of Apple, as a part of the company’s advertising campaign. The same year this print was created, Warhol encountered Steve Jobs (the founder of Apple) and wrote in his diary about the meeting: “he gave me a lesson on drawing with it. It only comes in black and white now, but they’ll soon make it in color… I felt so old and out of it with this whiz guy right there who’d helped invent it.”