Self-Portrait

Warhol based his first painted self-portrait on a photo booth photograph, and the work showcases Warhol’s ability to manipulate his persona itself as an artistic medium. As he admitted a few years later, “I’d prefer to remain a mystery, I never like to give my background and, anyway, I make it all up different every time I’m asked.” This work marked a starting point for Warhol’s career-long engagement with the construction of identity, especially as it pertained to crafting his public persona.