Title: Plains Indian Shield 382
Medium: Screenprint on Lenox Museum Board.
Year: 1986
Size: 36″ x 36″
Edition: Edition of 50 AP, signed and numbered by Andy Warhol in pencil lower left.

Andy Warhol created Plains Indian Shield 382 in 1986 for his Cowboys and Indians portfolio. Warhol was fascinated by celebrity myths and the ways in which stories are represented by the media. This allure led Warhol to create his Cowboys and Indians portfolio as a commentary about the myth of the American West. He used recognizable imagery like this one of Plains Indian Shield that is often associated with the popular representation of Native America culture. Warhol removed this native imagery from its original context and interspersed it with images of romanticized American heroes. True to his pop art style, Warhol used bright colors typically associated with western themes accented with a white gradient. Plains Indian Shield is an example of Warhol’s fascination with the way media and society interpret histories and misrepresent the history of Indians and the American west.