At the time of his death, Andy Warhol was working on a major portfolio entitled TV, in which he aimed to trace the history of television. Moonwalk, the only completed image in the project, is an example of the quintessential post-war American icons portrayed by Warhol. Using a freeze-frame image originally broadcast to millions of viewers, the astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands next to the American flag he has placed on the moon. Warhol returns to this seminal moment through the technique of screenprint. Combining a palette of neon colours, and fluorescent outlines, he updates the original image to reflect the flourishing visual culture of the 1980’s. Warhol's initials can be discerned across Aldrin's visor; a typical ironic touch by the artist who thereby adds his mark to the famous image, just as the American flag was added to the surface of another world.
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, in which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the Moon.