Warhol’s Cow Wallpaper

Warhol’s Cow Wallpaper is identified in the diaries through a single, concrete detail: it was in the bathroom of Philip Johnson and David Whitney’s apartment, and Andy Warhol referred to it as his. The mention connects the wallpaper to Warhol’s personal circle while offering little description of its design or history.

Placement in the Apartment

On September 4, 1986, after dinner with Wilfredo, Sam, Philip Johnson, and David Whitney at Castellano, Warhol walked back to Johnson and Whitney’s apartment with the group. It was the first time they had invited people over. Warhol noted the Cow Wallpaper in the bathroom, locating the object in a private domestic interior rather than in a gallery or office.

A Social Encounter

Warhol found the apartment and its domestic routine appealing, including Johnson and Whitney’s habit of eating at the same restaurant every night. The wallpaper appears within this account of a visit that moved from dinner to an invitation upstairs, giving a familiar object a place in Warhol’s record of friendship and social life.

Significance in the Record

The diary’s brief reference establishes Warhol’s personal association with the Cow Wallpaper and its presence in Johnson and Whitney’s bathroom. It does not specify the wallpaper’s appearance, installation, or provenance. Its significance here is the glimpse it affords of Warhol’s work or possessions carried into the private spaces of people in his circle.