Title: Cow 12A
Medium: Screenprint on wallpaper
Year: 1976
Size: 45 1/2″ x 29 3/4″
Details: Edition unlimited. Stamped; In blue ink, "Authorized by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts" and "The Estate of Andy Warhol"; with Andy Warhol Foundation inventory number written in pencil (all verso).

Andy Warhol was inspired to by art dealer Ivan Karp to create his Cows in the 1960s. Karp suggested to Warhol, “Why don’t you paint some cows, they’re so wonderfully pastoral and such a durable image in the history of the arts.” Warhol’s printer Gerard Malanga chose the photograph of the cow, however it was Warhol’s unique pop art style that made the final product so interesting. Staying true to his pop art style, he chose a vibrant color scheme of pink on purple, making the pastoral animal seem like it was on an acid trip. Warhol then printed the Cow image on wallpaper, which he first introduced to his creative production in 1966 with his first Cow. This particular Cow was created for an exhibition in 1976 at the Modern Art Pavillion at Seattle Center. In Andy’s classic mode of repetition, every inch of the walls was covered with his pink and purple Cow. Warhol created 4 variations of his Cow, with this being the fourth and final version.