A project I have been working on lately, is listing all Andy Warhol record covers from the 1950ies outside of North America (USA and Canada). I have always been curious about when exactly Warhol’s commercial illustration work reached other continents.

Record covers were without a doubt the first introduction of Warhol drawings to the general public in Japan or Europe. And more precisely RCA record covers, since RCA Victor launched a world wide campaign in 1956, spearheaded by the new hip shaking phenomenon Elvis Presley.

I have knowledge of a few early magazine publications in Europe with Warhol illustrations, but extremely niche: the Swiss/American trade magazine for the graphic industry Graphis mentions Warhol as early as 1952, and a 1955 issue of the French/American litererary magazine Paris Review contains two Warhol drawings. But all the work Warhol did in more widely distributed fashion magazines etc., was never published outside of the US. Not even in the UK version of Harper’s Bazaar, as Paul Maréchal confirmed to me: “In terms of magazine illustrations, I have noticed during my extensive and still ongoing research how AW’s illustrations were not published in the UK version of Harper’s Bazaar. It looks like there was a very influence-proof wall between the two entities.” Meaning that fashion articles and ads Warhol has illustrated, were solely for the American market. And for articles on fashion in the UK, they had their own illustrators. “In any case”, Maréchal continues, “please keep in mind that before 1956 Warhol was considered as a ‘spot illustrator’ so chances he would have his work published abroad were very limited.”

This brings us back to: record covers, with a high visibilty on record shop shelves. The earliest release I have found so far, is the Japanese version of Arthur Fiedler’s 7 inch EP Latin Rhythms By The Boston Pops, complete with the joyful Andy Warhol cover illustration. The Japanese EP was released in June/July 1956, as Victor EP-3081. The paper front and back covers were wrapped and sealed in the patented plastic cover of that era.

Many countries around the world saw the release of a Boston Pops EP with these same four tracks (La Cumparsita; Carioca; The Continental; Ritual Fire Dance), though not necessarily with the title Latin Rhythms. Japan however appears to be the only country outside of North America to have adopted the Warhol cover art.

European RCA releases by Teldec, in Germany and Sweden, started a few months later, in the Fall of 1956. I will write about that in an upcoming post. I also plan to make a small booklet, listing all 1950ies intercontinental Warhol covers, to be released at the opening of a Warhol covers exhibition I will be having in Antwerp, Belgium, end of May.