For the promotion of Paul Anka’s prestigious album The Painter (1976), record company United Artists spared no costs. They produced a light box with the cover image on the album, to put on the counter of selected record stores.
The Warhol portrait is printed on a plastic front, with the image of Paul Anka in bas-relief. The box itself is made of cardboard. Size is much larger than the album cover, about 50 X 50 cm.
I have not seen many of these boxes for sale in the past ten years. Once in a while the plastic 3D-front is offered on its own, sometimes framed (for quite a lot of money).

Three holes on top, for airing and cooling.

Plastic front removed, to have a look inside the box. Original lamp and US-plug are present, but I also added a new lamp and wire, and Belgian plug.

The original box the light display was shipped in to the record stores.
As someone who has spent an awful lot of time researching the world of Warhol record cover art, Guy, your blog unfailingly reminds me of how much I don’t know, I certainly hope Eric Shiner and Matt Wrbican from the Warhol Museum are following your blog, because the depth of research you’ve done quite possibly exceeds a team of full time research staffers. Cheers to you on another stellar post!
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Frank, thank you so much for your kind words and support. Sometimes I am just as surprised as you are, that unknown or forgotten work by Warhol, still turns up, after all those years we have both been studying his work!
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Yet another amazingly cool item! While the rest of us losers settle for the actual records and covers you always have a way of coming up with stuff like this. I hope there is more!
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I have one of these. What is the best way to try to find out its value?
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Hi Marcia, thanks for your message. Do you have a complete and working box? And do you just want to know the value, or do you want to sell the box?
Anyway, a gallery owner in the UK offered me £1250 for the box, so he would sell it himself for more. (But mine is not for sale)
Another gallery had only the front, in a frame, and his asking price was £5000. But I think that is severely exaggerated, and I don’ think anyone would pay that much. Maybe half?
You can maybe contact an art gallery owner for estimation.
Or try your luck on eBay. Be sure to have “Warhol Cover” in your title, next to “Paul Anka Painter light box”
Good luck!
Guy
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