MILLVILLE, PA.- A previously unknown and never before offered silkscreen by Pop Art icon Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is the expected headliner at a Labor Day sale planned for Monday, Sept. 2, by Col. Kirk’s Auction Gallery, in the firm’s gallery located at 2267 State Route 42 in Millville, a town in central Pennsylvania not far off I-80, starting at 11 a.m. (EST). The silkscreen, a probable one-of-a-kind, is titled Of Thee I Sing – Nico (“Nico” being the nickname given to Warhol’s lifelong friend, the fashion model Christa Paffgen). The piece is unsigned, but it was printed on woven paper made especially for Warhol , and is fairly typical of his work, showing a stylized American flag with bold red stripes and a double image of “Nico.” The silkscreen was purchased sometime in the late 1960s or early ‘70s by a well-to-do woman who was a patron of the arts and a one-time part owner of Wonder Bread and Archway Cookies during the Great Depression. She bought it from a gallery in New York City, then took it home to Boston, where it’s been kept for decades. It is believed to be the only one in existence. Only recently did the silkscreen’s co-owners surface and decide to sell, through Col. Kirk’s Auction. “And that was our good fortune, because with that Warhol we anticipate having our best Labor Day auction ever,” said Kirk S. Williams, auctioneer and owner of the firm. “In addition to that great lot, we also have period furniture, stoneware, glassware and other artwork.”

The sale will also contain Murano figures, many lovely and highly collectible perfume bottles and atomizers, Prussia, Roseville pottery, original Mary Gregory glassware, spouted Yelloware, crystal pieces (including dogs and a lamp), vintage oil lamps, figural elephants and roosters, a vintage vase, a hand-crafted brass creation, and dozens of smalls and decorative items. But it’s the Warhol that is bound to get the most attention, in part because of who created it and in part for its rarity. In all probability, Warhol made the piece for Christa Paffgen herself. It is unknown as to how it ended up for sale in a New York gallery around the time it was done, and authentication of such works has become impossible. In summary, its history is a mystery. “

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