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Pop Art

POP ART STYLE

Perhaps one of the most influential contemporary art movements, Pop art emerged in the 1950s. In stark contrast to traditional artistic practice, its practitioners drew on imagery from popular culture — comic books, advertising, product packaging and other commercial media — to create original Pop art paintings, prints and sculptures that celebrated ordinary life in the most literal way.

ORIGINS OF POP ART

CHARACTERISTICS OF POP ART 

  • Bold imagery
  • Bright, vivid colors
  • Straightforward concepts
  • Engagement with popular culture 
  • Incorporation of everyday objects from advertisements, cartoons, comic books and other popular mass media

POP ARTISTS TO KNOW

ORIGINAL POP ART ON 1STDIBS

The Pop art movement started in the United Kingdom as a reaction, both positive and critical, to the period’s consumerism. Its goal was to put popular culture on the same level as so-called high culture.

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.

Pop art works are distinguished by their bold imagery, bright colors and seemingly commonplace subject matter. Practitioners sought to challenge the status quo, breaking with the perceived elitism of the previously dominant Abstract Expressionism and making statements about current events. Other key characteristics of Pop art include appropriation of imagery and techniques from popular and commercial culture; use of different media and formats; repetition in imagery and iconography; incorporation of mundane objects from advertisements, cartoons and other popular media; hard edges; and ironic and witty treatment of subject matter.

Although British artists launched the movement, they were soon overshadowed by their American counterparts. Pop art is perhaps most closely identified with American Pop artist Andy Warhol, whose clever appropriation of motifs and images helped to transform the artistic style into a lifestyle. Most of the best-known American artists associated with Pop art started in commercial art (Warhol made whimsical drawings as a hobby during his early years as a commercial illustrator), a background that helped them in merging high and popular culture.

Roy Lichtenstein was another prominent Pop artist that was active in the United States. Much like Warhol, Lichtenstein drew his subjects from print media, particularly comic strips, producing paintings and sculptures characterized by primary colors, bold outlines and halftone dots, elements appropriated from commercial printing. Recontextualizing a lowbrow image by importing it into a fine-art context was a trademark of his style. Neo-Pop artists like Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami further blurred the line between art and popular culture.

Pop art rose to prominence largely through the work of a handful of men creating works that were unemotional and distanced — in other words, stereotypically masculine. However, there were many important female Pop artists, such as Rosalyn Drexler, whose significant contributions to the movement are recognized today. Best known for her work as a playwright and novelist, Drexler also created paintings and collages embodying Pop art themes and stylistic features.

Read more about the history of Pop art and the style’s famous artists, and browse the collection of original Pop art paintings, prints, photography and other works for sale on 1stDibs.

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Style: Pop Art
Robert Indiana Signed 1970 Indianapolis Museum of Art

Robert Indiana Signed 1970 Indianapolis Museum of Art

By Robert Indiana

Located in Pembroke Pines, FL

Artist: Robert Indiana, American (1928 - 2018) Title: Indianapolis Museum of Art Year: 1970 Medium: Silkscreen Poster Size: 35 x 25 in. (88.9 x 63.5 cm) Signed, and dated lower right...

Category

1970s Pop Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Screen

The Marx Brothers FS II.232 (hand signed screen print)
The Marx Brothers FS II.232 (hand signed screen print)

The Marx Brothers FS II.232 (hand signed screen print)

By Andy Warhol

Located in Aventura, FL

Screen print on Lenox Museum Board. Hand signed lower right by Andy Warhol. Hand numbered 84/200 on lower right (there are also 30 APs, 5 PPs, and 3 HCs). Artwork size: 40 x 32 in...

Category

1980s Pop Art

Materials

Board, Screen

Large Bus by Allen Jones classic British 1960s pop art in bright primary colors
Large Bus by Allen Jones classic British 1960s pop art in bright primary colors

Large Bus by Allen Jones classic British 1960s pop art in bright primary colors

By Allen Jones

Located in New York, NY

This large Allen Jones lithograph is printed exuberantly in primary colors. A swath of bright red brushstrokes represents the side of a bus. In the upper left, small windows reveal the passengers: a woman’s face is cut off above her vampy red lips, and a blue-haired man’s face is hidden. Royal blue fills the upper right corner of the composition, giving the impression of looking up at a passing bus against the cloudless sky. One can imagine Jones was thinking of the iconic red double decker bus the AEC Routemaster, first introduced in London in 1954. In the 1960s buses were a living symbol of familiar and new technology coexisting: as David Bucken put it, “In and around London a midpoint change on a journey might involve alighting from an RT bus, of which production had started just prior to World War II, and getting on one of the sexy new Routemasters.” In the artist’s words: “The whole problem as a figurative artist was that it was going against the main march of modernism, which was towards abstraction. But here was a way of making the subject you were painting the same as the object you were painting on. By making the canvas a rhomboid, and putting little wheels on it, you have a schematic version of a vehicle, in this case a London bus.” Jones plays with the space between abstraction and figuration: windowed passengers, elaborated with just a few lines and placed adjacent to a weighty red ground of brushstrokes, easily convey the form of a bus, yet the print also conveys Jones’ visceral, painterly delight in color play. Four color lithograph on wove paper Paper 28.5 x 42.5 / 72.4 X 108 cm Wood frame 31 x 46 x 2 in. / 78.75 x 117 x 5 cm with 1 in. moulding Signed by the artist lower right in pencil, labeled Trial Proof lower left in pencil. Edition 20. Printed at Tamarind Los Angeles with Clifford Smith...

Category

1960s Pop Art

Materials

Lithograph

Kinema Office, Cambridge
Kinema Office, Cambridge

Kinema Office, Cambridge

By Richard Heeps

Located in Cambridge, GB

Taken in one of Richard's favourite buildings in Cambridge. Cambridge is blessed with many architectural marvels but this former cinema had a particularly unique wooden auditorium, a...

Category

1990s Pop Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin

Abstract Figure With Umbrella, Peter Max
Abstract Figure With Umbrella, Peter Max

Abstract Figure With Umbrella, Peter Max

By Peter Max

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Abstract Figure With Umbrella Year: 2001 Edition: 500/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on archival paper Size: 9 x 11 inches Condition: Excellent I...

Category

Early 2000s Pop Art

Materials

Lithograph

Original Fashion Design Illustration Watercolor Painting Laura Ashley Designer
Original Fashion Design Illustration Watercolor Painting Laura Ashley Designer

Original Fashion Design Illustration Watercolor Painting Laura Ashley Designer

By Roz Jennings

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Original Fashion Design Illustration by Roz Jennings, British watercolor and ink on card, unframed size: 11.75 x 8.25 inches condition: very good A beautifully colorful and characte...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Puffin's lunch  original painting
Puffin's lunch  original painting

Puffin's lunch original painting

Located in Zofingen, AG

This charming oil painting features a rabbit and continues my Wild Nature series. It is inspired by animals that coexist with humans and can often be pets. I love the silver backgrou...

Category

2010s Pop Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Heart on Blends, Peter Max
Heart on Blends, Peter Max

Heart on Blends, Peter Max

By Peter Max

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Heart on Blends Year: 2005 Edition: 500/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 12.75 x 10 inches Condition: Excellent Inscri...

Category

Early 2000s Pop Art

Materials

Lithograph

Kate Moss Supreme New York Street Art Photo (Kate Moss Fashion photography)

Kate Moss Supreme New York Street Art Photo (Kate Moss Fashion photography)

By Fernando Natalici

Located in NEW YORK, NY

'Kate Moss Supreme' photographed in New York's historic Soho area in 2012 by celebrated downtown photographer Fernando Natalici. In 2012, Moss was chosen as the face for Supreme’s spring campaign. Kate’s cold stare down British photographer Alasdair McLellan’s lens, while wearing Supreme's signature box logo tee, a leopard fur coat and cigarette burning down to the filter, makes for a chic New York City...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art

Materials

C Print

LADIES & GENTLEMEN FS II.130
LADIES & GENTLEMEN FS II.130

LADIES & GENTLEMEN FS II.130

By Andy Warhol

Located in Aventura, FL

From the Ladies and Gentlemen Portfolio. Screenprint in colors on arches paper. Hand signed and numbered by the artist on verso. Artwork sheet size 43.33 x 28.5 in. Framed. From...

Category

1970s Pop Art

Materials

Screen, Paper

Pink Bardot Triptych - Hand Signed Limited Edition

Pink Bardot Triptych - Hand Signed Limited Edition

By BATIK

Located in London, GB

Pink Bardot Triptych - Hand Signed Limited Edition Archival Pigment Print A beautifully crafted pop art composite of the French sex symbol and French Cinema icon that is Brigitte ...

Category

2010s Pop Art

Materials

Color, Archival Pigment

"Scooby" Acrylic and Collage on Korean newsprint
"Scooby" Acrylic and Collage on Korean newsprint

"Scooby" Acrylic and Collage on Korean newsprint

By Gary John

Located in West Hollywood, CA

Gary John has been a street artist since 1985, originally from Seattle Washington, then moving to Venice Beach selling his art on the boardwalk for 10 years before exploding onto the...

Category

2010s Pop Art

Materials

Acrylic, Newsprint

KEITH HARING Learning Through Art, 1990 Vintage Pop Art
KEITH HARING Learning Through Art, 1990 Vintage Pop Art

KEITH HARING Learning Through Art, 1990 Vintage Pop Art

By Keith Haring

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Keith Haring's involvement with the Learning Through Art program at the Guggenheim Museum Children's Program was a testament to his commitment to arts education and community outreac...

Category

1990s Pop Art

Materials

Lithograph

"2 Lovely Strangers" - Pop Art Multi-layer Screenprint
"2 Lovely Strangers" - Pop Art Multi-layer Screenprint

"2 Lovely Strangers" - Pop Art Multi-layer Screenprint

Located in Soquel, CA

"2 Lovely Strangers" - Pop Art Multi-layer Screenprint Highly saturated multi-layer screenprint by Steve J. Pon (20th Century). Two figures stand in the middle of a coastal landscap...

Category

1970s Pop Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Screen

KAWS Clean Slate Companion (KAWS brown clean slate)
KAWS Clean Slate Companion (KAWS brown clean slate)

KAWS Clean Slate Companion (KAWS brown clean slate)

By KAWS

Located in NEW YORK, NY

KAWS Clean Slate (Brown), new & unopened in its original packaging. A well-received work and variation of KAWS' large scale Clean Slate sculpture - a key ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art

Materials

Resin, Vinyl

Futura 'Johnny' vinyl art figure (Futura Mindstyle)
Futura 'Johnny' vinyl art figure (Futura Mindstyle)

Futura 'Johnny' vinyl art figure (Futura Mindstyle)

By Futura

Located in NEW YORK, NY

'Johnny' by Futura: Futura Figurative Pop Art Sculpture. The ‘Johnny’ vinyl art figure from NYC graffiti legend Futura is inspired by a classic 80s horror...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art

Materials

Resin, Vinyl

1000 Miligrams, Mixed Media Collage Portrait
1000 Miligrams, Mixed Media Collage Portrait

1000 Miligrams, Mixed Media Collage Portrait

By Roberto Fonfria

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Fonfria's work explores human behavior and social rules with a critical eye and humor, touching on personal themes such as dreams, fears, and memories. The images come from old magaz...

Category

2010s Pop Art

Materials

Cotton, Paper, Mixed Media, Graphite

Blue Suds
Blue Suds

Blue Suds

By Ed Ruscha

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Ed Ruscha (b. 1937) is known internationally for his blending of conceptual approaches with pop sensibilities. Today he is firmly established as a leading figure in American 20th cen...

Category

1970s Pop Art

Materials

Screen

Ferrari Melting Lips
Ferrari Melting Lips

Ferrari Melting Lips

By Erik Salin

Located in Nottingham, GB

Striking bright red and black pop art sculpture in the shape of lips. The lips have paint dripping over them to look as if they are melting. beautifully crafted from fibreglass, industrial paints and leather, featuring the Ferrari logo. Fantastic bright and colourful sculpture...

Category

2010s Pop Art

Materials

Mixed Media

My Home is My Fortress
My Home is My Fortress

My Home is My Fortress

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Woman-Warrior of the modern world" series This work reveals the multilayered perception of a woman as both the protector and keeper of her world. As part of the series “The Woma...

Category

2010s Pop Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

KAWS Tension Bearbrick 400% (KAWS Tension Be@rbrick)
KAWS Tension Bearbrick 400% (KAWS Tension Be@rbrick)

KAWS Tension Bearbrick 400% (KAWS Tension Be@rbrick)

By KAWS

Located in NEW YORK, NY

KAWS Tension Bearbrick 400%: This much sought-after KAWS Tension Be@rbrick figure features the artist's signature "X"’s and bright lush colors synonymous with his more abstract works on canvas. Accompanied by its original box with an authenticating hologram on the lower reverse, this sold-out limited run work was published in Japan upon the debut of the ‘KAWS Tokyo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art

Materials

Resin, Vinyl

Pop Art art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Pop art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, red, purple and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Jack Mitchell, Andy Warhol, Peter Max, and Heidler & Heeps. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Pop Art, so small editions measuring 0.4 inches across are also available.