1991
Although he insisted that he and his fellow Pop artists developed their art-making styles independently, American painter James Rosenquist belonged at the table with Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
Known for his distinctive use of visual montage, Rosenquist produced large, vibrantly colored tableaux marked by fragmentation and overlap. He often employed familiar motifs and objects drawn from popular contemporary culture — hot dogs, lipstick tubes, American flags — which he manipulated to form disorienting compositions whose constituent elements are nearly unrecognizable.
Born in North Dakota to Swedish parents, Rosenquist was encouraged to pursue painting by his mother, who was also an artist. He studied painting for two years at the University of Minnesota, but dropped out at the age of 21 to attend the Art Students League in New York on a scholarship. A job as a billboard painter in the late 1950s set him up to pursue his signature style, which borrowed its bold graphics and remixed kitschy aesthetic from the visual vocabulary of advertising. Works like Flamingo Capsule (1983) embody his trademark visual dissonance, drawing cigarette-ad motifs into conversation with stripes from the American flag and aluminum foil wrappers.
In addition to enormous paintings, Rosenquist created drawings, prints and collages. The 2011 lithograph The Memory Continues but the Clock Disappears is a montage of melting clocks and confetti, all submerged in a pool of water. While wryly hinting at the inevitability of decay and deterioration — suggesting that life is a ticking clock — the composition also alludes to Salvador Dalí's signature motif, the defining symbol of Surrealism. Such compositions demonstrate how Rosenquist masterfully combined seemingly incongruous elements into a harmonious and poetic whole.
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H 37.5 in W 46.75 in D 1 in
Framed 1970s Etching of Woman in the Sun, Pop Art, Signed
By James Rosenquist
Located in Aventura, FL
Lithograph in colors on BFK Rives mould-made paper. Hand signed lower left by James Rosenquist. Hand numbered 58/60 and titled lower left. Artwork size: 33 x 42.5 inches. Frame s...
Lithograph
H 28 in W 38 in
Brighter than the Sun, James Rosenquist: colorful abstract pop art rainbow
By James Rosenquist
Located in New York, NY
This vibrant red, blue, orange and yellow lithograph is based on the 1961 Rosenquist oil painting Brighter than the Sun (private collection), with fragmented images from advertising,...
Lithograph
H 28 in W 38 in
Brighter than the Sun, James Rosenquist: colorful abstract pop art rainbow
By James Rosenquist
Located in New York, NY
This vibrant red, blue, orange and yellow lithograph is based on the 1961 Rosenquist oil painting Brighter than the Sun (private collection), with fragmented images from advertising,...
Lithograph
H 22.45 in W 40.01 in
James Rosenquist -- Rouge Pad
By James Rosenquist
Located in BRUCE, ACT
James Rosenquist Rouge Pad, 1978 Etching, aquatint 57.2 x 101.6 cm Unframed, Hand-signed, titled, dated and numbered, 46/78, in pencil Noted as Glenn 134 in the artist’s catalogu...
Etching, Aquatint
H 27.75 in W 21.25 in
Katonah Muse, James Rosenquist
By James Rosenquist
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: James Rosenquist (1933-2017) Title: Katonah Muse Year: 1993 Medium: Lithograph in colors on wove paper Edition: A.P. 6/20; 100 Size: 27.75 x 21.25 inches Inscription: Signed ...
Lithograph
H 84 in W 144 in
Flowers Before the Sun - Large Scale Abstract Oil on Canvas, 1989
By James Rosenquist
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Flowers Before the Sun, a monumental 1989 oil on canvas by James Rosenquist, stands out as a pinnacle of his 1980s floral series, weaving vibrant botanical forms with faint human tra...
Canvas, Oil
H 24 in W 20 in
Morning Mirror
By James Rosenquist
Located in Palo Alto, CA
James Rosenquist Morning Mirror, 1966 is a mesmeric piece that captures your attention with the use of 3 colors; red, yellow, and grey. Front and center, in the middle of the composi...
Lithograph
H 22.75 in W 39.75 in D 0.01 in
Swing Screen
By James Rosenquist
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "SWing Screen" 1979 is an original colors etching with aquatint on Pescia Italia paper by renown American artist James Rosenquist, 1933-2017. It is hand signed, d...
Etching, Aquatint
H 36.5 in W 19.12 in
Untitled, 1975
By James Rosenquist
Located in Palo Alto, CA
James Rosenquist Untitled, 1975 is an enthralling work created by the artist as a study for a lithograph of the same title. Rosenquist, alongside artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lic...
Mixed Media
H 22.75 in W 40 in D 0.1 in
Star Leg (2nd State)
By James Rosenquist
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: James Rosenquist (1933-2017) Title: Star Leg (2nd state) Year: 1979 Medium: 1 color etching Edition: 78, plus proofs Sheet Size: 22.75 x 40 inches Plate size: 17.75 x 35.5 in...
Paper, Etching
