Dolly Parton's Enduring Artistic Legacy: From Warhol Silkscreens to Indigenous Art
Dolly Parton, the legendary country music star, sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 80, leaving a significant legacy in the art world. The Smithsonian Institution recognized her remarkable six-decade influence on American culture through a LinkedIn post featuring a 1972 photograph by Henry Horenstein. In her memoir released in 2023, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, Parton shared her experiences with Andy Warhol at Studio 54. Warhol took around 60 Polaroid shots of her in 1985, leading to a silkscreen that sold for $626,500 at Christie's in 2012. Other artists like Annie Leibovitz and Kaylene Whiskey have also paid tribute, with Whiskey's work being a finalist for the 2020 Archibald Prize.
Key facts
- Dolly Parton died yesterday aged 80.
- Smithsonian Institution posted about Parton's six-decade cultural impact on LinkedIn.
- Henry Horenstein's 1972 photo of Parton was his first published photograph, appearing in Boston After Dark.
- Parton told Horenstein: 'People don’t come out to see me looking like everybody else.'
- Andy Warhol created a silkscreen of Parton in the 1980s.
- Warhol met Parton at Sandy Gallin's house in Los Angeles on August 15, 1985, during Sean Penn and Madonna's wedding weekend.
- Warhol took about 60 Polaroids of Parton, with Keith Haring present.
- A Dolly silkscreen sold for $626,500 at Christie's New York in 2012.
- Warhol's Polaroid of Parton is at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; another silkscreen is at SFMOMA.
- Annie Leibovitz photographed Parton in 1991 for Vanity Fair and in 2002 for the 62nd Grammy Awards.
- Kaylene Whiskey's artwork 'Dolly Visits Indulkana' was a finalist in the 2020 Archibald Prize and is in the Art Gallery of New South Wales collection.
Entities
Artists
- Dolly Parton
- Henry Horenstein
- Andy Warhol
- Keith Haring
- Annie Leibovitz
- Kaylene Whiskey
- Jeff Koons
- Sean Penn
- Madonna
- Sandy Gallin
Institutions
- Smithsonian Institution
- Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
- Christie's New York
- Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Art Gallery of New South Wales
- Vanity Fair
- Boston After Dark
Locations
- Washington, DC
- United States
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Manhattan
- Arkansas
- San Francisco
- Sydney
- Australia