Andy Warhol, “Happy Butterfly Day,” 1955, hand colored offset lithograph, 14 by 10 inches.

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ANDY WARHOL PRINTS AND DRAWINGS AT SUSAN SHEEHAN GALLERY w/1 cut

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NEW YORK CITY — The Susan Sheehan Gallery is offering an exhibition that surveys the prints and drawings of Andy Warhol, with work from all phases of the artist’s prolific career, including early never-before-exhibited drawings made in the mid-50s to early 1960s. The show will be on view through January 12.

Born in Pittsburgh in 1928, Warhol graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1949, and moved to New York City where he quickly made a name for himself as a commercial illustrator. During the 1950s and early 1960s Warhol’s artwork consisted of playful, hand colored prints and drawings categorized by a light-hearted wit and a delicate use of line. With very few formal venues to show his art, Warhol gave much of this material away to close friends and those within the advertising world whom he felt could help advance his career.

The balance of this early work remained in his possession during his lifetime, and only came to light after his death in 1987. It is some of those fine drawings and representative examples of his hand colored prints that are included in the show.

These early prints and drawings might seem dissimilar from Warhol’s better-known Pop paintings and prints, but a closer look reveals their clear affinities. Many iconic images make their first appearance during this early period, often referred to as “Pre-Pop.”

In 1962 Warhol had his first exhibition at the Stable Gallery in New York City and he soon left the life of a commercial illustrator behind. Critics soon grouped Warhol together with his fellow artists Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg and James Rosenquist — dubbing them Pop Artists because of their use of imagery from popular culture.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Warhol extended his artistic reach, and by 1982, Warhol was so famous, and his style so well known, that he could even take on the dollar sign and turn it into a work of art.

Susan Sheehan Gallery is at 535 West 22nd Street. For information, 212-489-3331 or www.susansheehangallery.com.