Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987)
Pele, 1979
Polaroid
4.25 x 3.375 in.
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. (c)
My selected piece from ArtMate is an Andy Warhol Polaroid of Pelé.
Pelé (1940-2022) was a Brazilian soccer player, considered one of the world’s all-time greatest (if not the greatest). Here, he is pictured in a Brazilian jersey, posed in front of a white wall and holding a soccer ball with a ‘Pelé’ label.
Andy Warhol mass-produced accessible art highlighting popular and consumer culture. He has many famous renderings of celebrities (Marilyn Monroe probably is the most widely-recognized). In a similar vein, athletes mass-produce performances, rising to stardom based on their skill, for some, like Pelé, from an extremely young age. These players become idolized and exposed to soaring expectations, extreme judgements, harsh criticism, racism, backlash, etc. Additionally, the fame of most professional players is short-lived, only spanning across their prime age, slowly fading out of picture afterwards. However, just as Warhol’s works remained present in the consciousness of future generations, Pelé as a legend also remains in the consciousness of billions, an inspiration to an uncountable many.
This intimate shot of Pelé freezes a moment of his younger self’s smile and eyes in time. Seeing the celebrity in this context, almost fifty years later, pulls at the concept of fast-flowing time. Here is a young Pelé on track to go down in history as the all-time top professional; the only player to win three FIFA World Cups and to score the most professional soccer goals of any player. His passing in 2022 marked the passing of a legend, but it brings into play the type of glory athletes strive for. Glory that transcends the boundary of time.
– Adele Oprica ’26