ROY LICHTENSTEIN

Born in New York City in 1923, Lichtenstein graduated from the Franklin School for Boys in 1940, followed by an artistic education at the Ohio State University. His early influences include Rembrandt, Daumier and Picasso, with his favourite painting being Picasso’s monumental Guernica (1937). From 1943 to 1946, he served in the American military which was a big influence on his artistic iconography, with his later works being shaped by American national symbolism and mythology. With an interest in mainstream culture, consumerism and appropriated imagery, Lichtenstein first created his signature pop art works in the early 1960s, rising to fame with other prominent members of the movement like Andy Warhol. Lichtenstein’s works blurred boundaries between high and low art, challenging the art establishment and reflecting on the interconnected nature of contemporary culture and consumerism. Lichtenstein worked across various print media from lithographs and etchings to woodcuts. Significant print series include his Haystacks planographic print series (1969) inspired by Monet’s painting and his Expressionist Woodcut series inspired by German Expressionism, which he started experimenting with in the 1970s and 80s. The artist had many exhibitions in prestigious institutions and his work is held in collections around the world, including the Tate Modern in London, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. He died in New York in 1997.

ROY LICHTENSTEIN

SUNRISE (C. II. 7), 1965

Offset Lithograph 45 x 60 cm