A unique Polaroid of Dolly Parton taken by Andy Warhol in 1985 is being offered for sale by Forward Gallery, which describes the work as fully provenanced and authenticated by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Estate of Andy Warhol. The Birmingham gallery is presenting the photograph as an original work rather than a later reproduction or edition.
The image comes from a sitting during which Warhol is said to have made approximately 60 Polaroids of Parton. According to Forward Gallery, each photograph from the session is a unique original. The gallery also says it believes this is the last of the 60 Polaroids currently available on the market, a claim it presents as part of the work’s appeal to collectors.
The photograph is being marketed under the title 'Dolly Parton, 1985'. No price has been published; the gallery is inviting interested buyers to enquire for further information. Its announcement identifies the work as part of a broader selection of original Warhol photography being made available through Hedges Projects, an archive with which Forward Gallery says it works in the United Kingdom.
That selection includes photographs associated with several prominent figures in music, literature and sport. Works listed by the gallery include 'Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon, 1982', 'Bruce Springsteen, 1978', 'Mick Jagger and William Burroughs, 1980', 'John Cale and Lou Reed at the Ocean Club, 1976', and 'Pelé & Richard Weisman, 1977'. The gallery distinguishes these photographs from reproductions and editions, describing them as images taken by Warhol himself.
The Parton Polaroid is presented within Warhol’s wider use of photography alongside his signed prints, editions and experimental proofs. Forward Gallery is also offering 'Alexander The Great (F&S II.292)', a signed unique trial proof from 1982. The gallery’s listing identifies that work as a signed screenprint on Lenox Museum Board measuring 102 by 102 centimetres, and stresses that it is a unique trial proof rather than a numbered edition.
Forward Gallery’s Warhol offering therefore spans several forms of authorship and production: the singular Polaroid from the Parton sitting, unique photographic prints associated with other public figures, signed editions and trial proofs. The gallery’s announcement directs collectors to contact it regarding individual works and availability, with the Dolly Parton photograph remaining available by enquiry.
