When most people think of Andy Warhol (1928-1987), Campbell’s Soup cans, Brillo boxes, dollar signs and large luminous screenprint portraits of icons such Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Chairman Mao spring to mind. These all date from the 1960s onwards when he exploded on the art scene as a founder and leading exponent of American Pop Art. However a mere few years earlier we see a surprisingly charming and playful side of Warhol when he was a jobbing commercial artist, and this period has not yet reached the stratospheric prices of his Pop Art.

In the mid, to late 50s Warhol created some delightful artist books including In the Bottom of my Garden, which was hand coloured and published by Warhol himself in limited numbers and which he then gave to clients and close friends. Each image is peopled with dumpy little putti or fairies frolicking amongst flowers; this is probably the nearest Warhol got to whimsy, however on close inspection there is a naughty sexiness to the prancing. It is also worth bearing in mind that the fashionable art of the day was Abstract Expressionism, a million miles away from dancing pink cherubs.