Elaine Sturtevant was an American artist known for her controversial reproductions. Though she referred to them as “studies,” Sturtevant’s practice included recreating works by her peers and contemporaries by memory, challenging ideas of originality, notoriety, and value. Sturtevant’s Study for Flowers, 1964-65, is a reproduction of Andy Warhol’s famous flowers, works that highlighted the beauty and fragility of nature. While many artists rejected and criticized Sturtevant’s work, Warhol, who also examined and challenged notions about the limits of art, supported it–he even loaned Sturtevant his original screens to create the floral reproduction. And once, when asked by an interviewer how he made his work, Warhol responded, “I don’t know, ask Elaine.”

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