In the 1970’s Andy Warhol had began to attract an increasing amount of portrait commissions; the sitters of these predominately the wealthy and famous likes of actors, models, royalty, and society figures. Having their image glorified by Warhol was one way of seeking affirmation of their status as a celebrity.

On the other hand, being put through this ‘Warhol treatment’ blurred their image into a uniformed mass of brightly-coloured ‘pop’ faces. Warhol’s Skull series, produced during this same period, acted as a counter-image to these glamorous portraits, bringing awareness to the fact that underneath all of the trappings of beauty and wealth, everyone is equal and is bound by the same destiny.