Portraits of Women

(My new Andy Warhol poster.)

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a poster sale at One Kings Lane, and came away with two new prints for my empty walls.  The first is an Andy Warhol painting of Princess Diana, and like I told Ryan, I bought it almost immediately because it seemed like the right thing to do.  I’ve always loved Warhol’s art, specifically how accessible it is, and I’ve always loved Princess Diana, too.  I was fortunate enough to see her dress tour when it came to Houston years ago, and I had the opportunity to stand alone in a room with her wedding dress for a very long time.  It was an experience I’ll never forget, and when I saw this poster, I knew it was meant to be.

(My new Modigliani poster.)

My second poster is a print of Amedeo Modigliani’s Woman with a Red Necklace, which also holds a special place in my heart.  My mom is an art lover, and one of my favorite childhood memories is perusing through her coffee table book of Modigliani prints.  That book was my introduction to the art world, and I was fascinated by his portraits of women with long and graceful necks, inspired by African masks and artwork.

The posters are very odd sizes that don’t fit standard frames, so I finally found the RIBBA series at IKEA and ordered two large frames online.  That proved to be a mistake, and both frames were slightly damaged in transit.  But I was able to repair them with a bit of glue and lots of patience, so I avoided a trip to the actual store.  The framing process turned into the ultimate DIY experience, which I guess is the point of IKEA products, and I’m pretty proud of my framing efforts.

Andy Warhol would approve of his print, bought in an online flash sale, hanging in the hallway of a suburban home in a small Texas town. It’s exactly what he wanted art to be, and I love that.  I don’t know if Modigliani would agree, but hopefully he’d cut me a little slack.

Art is meant to be enjoyed, and I love these images of women, so different and also so similar.  I hung both prints in my main hallway, which is narrow, and the dark frames actually make the space feel bigger, somehow.  I love looking at them as I pass by, and I’m so glad I finally took the plunge and hung meaningful pieces there.