The Andy Warhol Foundation and toy manufacturer Mattel collaborated to create the doll.
Photo: via InStyle
Would Andy Warhol have approved of a Barbie doll made in his likeness? The Andy Warhol Foundation certainly thinks so, and has teamed up with American toy manufacturer Mattel to produce a new doll reminiscent of the legendary pop artist.The limited edition doll goes for about $150. It's dressed in a black leather biker jacket, black skinny jeans, and black sunglasses. Her hair is styled in Warhol's trademark white mop, and her accessories include paintbrushes, colors, a tiny Polaroid camera, and a miniature of Warhol's Barbie painting.
Andy Warhol with Barbie, Portrait of Billy Boy (1986)
Photo: mdvanii.ch
Indeed, the artist created paintings of the famous doll. His 1986 painting Barbie, Billy Boy depicts Barbie with thick blond hair and big blue eyes against a light blue background. Warhol later made a second version of the piece, titled Barbie, with a red background.The blue version sold at auction at Christie's, London in October 2014 for £722,500 ($1,161,780).
The portraits were reportedly inspired by Warhol's 23-year-old muse Billy Boy, a jewelry designer and member of New York's downtown scene in the 1980s, who owned a vast collection of Barbie dolls.
Andy Warhol Barbie, Portrait of Billy Boy (1986)
