What Is Andy Warhol Style Art? 5 Signatures, From Silkscreen to Diamond Dust

Andy Warhol style art is pop art built the way Warhol built it: a famous face or everyday object taken from a photograph, flattened into bold blocks of color, often repeated, and finished with something glamorous. In 1980 that finishing touch became diamond dust, a sparkling surface Warhol first used on his Diamond Dust Shoes. Today "Warhol style" describes any art that borrows those moves, from screen printed celebrity portraits to hand embellished diamond dust canvases.

Below are the five signatures that make art read as Warhol style, the real story of diamond dust, and how to choose a piece for your own walls.

In this article

• What is Andy Warhol style art?
• What are the 5 signatures of Warhol's style?
• What is diamond dust art, and why did Warhol use it?
• How is Warhol style pop art made today?
• How do I choose Warhol style art for my home?
• Frequently asked questions

What is Andy Warhol style art?

Warhol was the leading figure of pop art, the movement that pulled the imagery of advertising and mass media into fine art. Where the painters before him chased abstract emotion, Warhol painted what everyone already recognized: soup cans, dollar bills, movie stars. His Campbell's Soup Cans of 1962 and his portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Elizabeth Taylor turned commercial images into icons.

So when people search for Warhol style art, they usually mean one of two things: pop art portraits of famous people in loud, flat color, or the glittering diamond dust pieces of his later years. The best contemporary work does both.

What are the 5 signatures of Warhol's style?

1. A famous subject everyone recognizes

Warhol picked faces and objects the public already knew by heart. Recognition is the point: the viewer brings their own memories of the star to the canvas.

2. A photograph as the starting point

Instead of drawing from life, Warhol started from existing photos, publicity stills and press images, then transferred them to canvas. Much of his early work was even hand painted to look mechanically printed.

3. Bold, flat, unexpected color

His Marilyn portraits shimmer in hot pinks, acid greens and electric blues that have nothing to do with real skin tones. The color is borrowed from advertising posters and is meant to grab you from across a room.

4. Repetition and series

Warhol's silkscreen process let him print the same image again and again in different color combinations. One subject, many versions, is the clearest sign of his influence.

5. Glamour you can see

From gold leaf to diamond dust, Warhol loved surfaces that announced luxury. That brings us to his most collectable technique.

What is diamond dust art, and why did Warhol use it?

Diamond dust art is a canvas or print finished with fine sparkling particles that catch the light as you move past it. Warhol first used the material in 1980 for his Diamond Dust Shoes, a series of women's shoes scattered across black backgrounds.

The technique came from his master printer, Rupert Jasen Smith. According to the history recorded by art dealers, true diamond powder turned out too fine and did not sparkle enough, so Smith switched to larger crystals of crushed glass from an industrial supplier in New Jersey. The result was a textured surface that glittered like a night at Studio 54, which is exactly the world Warhol wanted to capture.

Diamond dust has stayed a mark of luxury pop art ever since, used by artists from Warhol to Damien Hirst.

Frank Sinatra, 1938

Sinatra's 1938 booking photo, hand embellished with diamond dust, signed and limited to 25 per size.

From $300 See the piece →

How is Warhol style pop art made today?

At The BLK Gallery, New York artist Frank Amoruso works in the same tradition, with his own twist. Each piece starts from an iconic photograph, gets bold color, graffiti or neon treatment, and in the diamond dust fine art collection is hand embellished with diamond dust, signed, and limited to an edition of 25 per size with a certificate of authenticity.

His celebrity mugshot series is a good example: real booking photos of Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe, kept in black and white with one selective pop of color, then finished in diamond dust. It is the Warhol idea of fame as an image, applied to the moments the stars did not choose.

To be clear, these are original works inspired by Warhol's methods. They are not Warhol prints and are not affiliated with Andy Warhol or his estate.

Marilyn Monroe Mugshot

Warhol's favorite face, seen through a booking photo and finished by hand in diamond dust.

From $300 See the piece →

How do I choose Warhol style art for my home?

• Pick a subject you have a story with. The whole style runs on recognition, so choose the icon that means something to you.
• Go big. Pop art was made to be seen from across a room. Above a sofa, aim for a canvas about two thirds the sofa's width; our canvas size guide has every size in inches and cm.
• Use color as the anchor. Let one loud piece set the palette, and keep the wall around it simple.
• Think in series. Repetition is pure Warhol. Two or four versions of one subject, like the four piece Kate Moss set, make a statement no single canvas can.
• Choose diamond dust for the room with the best light. It sparkles most where daylight or a lamp moves across it.

Blue Marilyn

Monroe on a Santa Monica beach, reworked with graffiti in bold blue. A pop art canvas to start with.

From $89 See the piece →

Frequently asked questions

Is Andy Warhol style art the same as pop art?

Warhol style art is a branch of pop art. Pop art is the wider movement; Warhol style specifically means photo based celebrity or product images, bold flat color, repetition and glamorous finishes like diamond dust.

Is diamond dust made of real diamonds?

Not in Warhol's case. His printer found that real diamond powder was too fine to sparkle, so Warhol's Diamond Dust works use crushed glass crystals. Today the term covers any fine sparkling finish applied to a print or canvas.

What did Andy Warhol paint with diamond dust?

He started in 1980 with the Diamond Dust Shoes series, then used the material on other works in the early 1980s, including portraits.

How big should a Warhol style canvas be?

Bigger than you think. Above a sofa or bed, choose a canvas about two thirds the width of the furniture, such as 40x30 or 60x40. See the canvas size guide for every option.