[Literature & Art] Warhol, Andy. (1928–1987). The Velvet Underground - SIGNED COVER WITH A DRAWING OF A PENIS. Silkscreen collage banana on cardboard LP cover, designed by Andy Warhol for use on the groundbreaking 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico on Verve Records. This copy signed and inscribed by the artist "Andy Warhol" in blue ink and augmented with a drawing of a penis along the right side, and by the additional of two balls at the base of the banana. Cm : 31,8 x 31,8 cm; Inch : 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 in


The banana decal, torn across the base of the stem, was evidently at one point peeled off and moved to where a ghosted outline of it now remains. The artist seems then to have started the inscription upper right ("To George"?), thought better of it, and returned the banana to its normal original position as issued (as it is now affixed) and then completed the penis and balls sketches and signature around it. A little messy, but very cool!


The Velvet Underground & Nico is the debut album by American rock band the Velvet Underground and vocal collaborator Nico. It was originally released in March 1967 by Verve Records. Recorded in 1966 during Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia event tour, the album cover is recognizable for featuring a Warhol print of a banana. Early copies of the album invited the owner to "Peel slowly and see"; peeling back the banana skin revealed a flesh-colored banana underneath. A special machine was needed to manufacture these covers (one of the causes of the album's delayed release), but MGM paid for costs figuring that any ties to Warhol would boost sales of the album. The original copies of the album with the peel-sticker feature are now rare collector's items.