Which Came First?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Well, in the career of Andy Warhol, it was the chicken. A chicken was one of the characters in “The Little Red Hen,” a children’s book

that Andy illustrated in 1958 when he was on the art staff of Doubleday.

When you look at the bold colors and whimsical style that he used in these early illustrations, you can find similarities with some of his later techniques. But I can’t say it gave a hint of what was to come. I don’t think anyone expected the breakthrough Campbell’s Soup Can just four years later in 1962. And the rest is history.

Throughout his career, Andy used several themes from pop culture that even the youngest children would recognize and be drawn to – cows and zebras, flowers and bananas, and even Mickey Mouse. I think children would even find Andy’s portraits to be appealing for their bright, vibrant contrasting colors.

After his death, his will established the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. As stated in the will, the mission of the foundation is "to foster innovative artistic expression and the creative process" and is "focused primarily on supporting work of a challenging and often experimental nature."

Andy Warhol’s creative, innovative style broke rules and took chances. As a result, and he became a vanguard of the pop art movement and a legend in the art field.  We salute his imagination and creative genius.

Oh, and Andy Warhol did create paintings of eggs, too, but not until 1982. So, thanks to The Little Red Hen, we finally know which came first.

Gwynn Torres

Chief Imagination Officer

The Creativity Institute