Andy Warhol with Endangered Species, 1983

Andy Warhol's Endangered Species series was born out of a conversation between Warhol and the commissioner, Ronald Feldman, concerning the ecological issue of beach erosion. Given Warhol's curiosity with animals, he was eager to take on the project proposed to him by Feldman. The resulting screenprints highlight ten endangered animals in a colorful, upbeat manner, which Warhol described as "animals in make up". His focus on the animals in isolation, with the pop-art palette, puts them on a level of superstardom along with the infamous screenprints of his past: Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor and Muhammad Ali. The viewer consequently regards the animals in the same immortalizing light as those celebrities.

Andy Warhol was an American artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture that flourished by the 1960s and span a variety of media, including painting, silk-screening, photography, film, and sculpture.