Why did Pop art start?

Pop art started because artists sought to react to the mass consumerism of the 1950s with the goal of putting popular culture on the same level as so-called high culture. Works associated with Pop art are distinguished by their bold imagery, bright colors and seemingly commonplace subject matter. Practitioners endeavored to challenge the status quo. Pop artists broke with the perceived elitism of the previously dominant Abstract Expressionism and made pointed statements about current events. Richard Hamilton's 1956 collage ‘Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?’ is widely believed to have kickstarted this unconventional new style, but Pop art is perhaps most closely identified with American Pop artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. On 1stDibs, explore a collection of Pop art.