For the portrait of Beethoven that Andy Warhol made shortly before his death, he uses the 1819 painting "Beethoven mit dem Manuskript der Missa solemnis" (Beethoven Haus, Bonn) by Joseph Stieler. This portrait shaped the idea of the master of classical music worldwide. It is still in circulation in Germany, but also in countries like Brazil or Guatemala, not least through stamps commemorating the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth. It shows the famous German musician composing. Andy Warhol superimposed the portrait with the sequence of the first notes from the so-called Moonlight Sonata, opus 27, no. 2, from 1801. It is one of the most famous pieces of classical music and is known all over the world. In this way, Andy Warhol's Beethoven sheet follows the principles of pop art in exemplary manner: Warhol uses a generally known motif and transfers it into creative canon typical of his work. It is true that Warhol does not only portray the man but also his musical work in this silkscreen print.
The sheet’s publisher was Helmut Wünsche, who also signed the certificate stamp next to Rupert Jason (printer) and Fred Huges (estate). The gallery owner from Königswinter, south of Bonn, was one of Andy Warhol's German art dealers and publishers. With "Andy Warhol. Das Graphische Werk 1962-1980", he released a first catalog of Andy Warhol's prints. Andy Warhol got to know the Cologne Cathedral, Helmut Schmidt and Stieler's painting "Ludwig van Beethoven" through the gallerist.