$1,800
Peter Max Signed Liberty Head II Collage Mixed Media Original Painting over Lith
By Peter Max
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Artist: Peter Max Title: Liberty Head II Collage Medium: Mixed Media on Paper Sheet Size: 14" x 12.25" Frame Size: 27.5" x 25.5" x 1" Year: 1997 Inscription: Signed "Max" on front Do...
Paper, Mixed Media
$14,400Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head Year: 2005 Medium: Mixed Media on archival paper Size: 30 x 24 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: Signed by the artist.
Mixed Media, Acrylic
$1,008Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head X, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head X Year: 2004 Edition: 679/700, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 7 x 6.87 inches Condition: Excellent Inscripti...
Lithograph
$571Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head I, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head I Year: 2001 Edition: 430/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 3.5 x 3 inches Condition: Excellent Inscriptio...
Lithograph
$571Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head VIII, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head VIII Year: 2003 Edition: 455/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 3.43 x 2.62 inches Condition: Excellent Ins...
Lithograph
$571Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head IV, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head IV Year: 2001 Edition: 454/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 3.5 x 3 inches Condition: Excellent Inscripti...
Lithograph
$571Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head V, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head V Year: 2001 Edition: 454/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 3.5 x 3 inches Condition: Excellent Inscriptio...
Lithograph
$571Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head IX, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head IX Year: 2003 Edition: 491/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 3.43 x 2.62 inches Condition: Excellent Inscr...
Lithograph
$571Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head VII, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head VII Year: 2003 Edition: 451/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 3.43 x 2.62 inches Condition: Excellent Insc...
Lithograph
$571Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head II, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head II Year: 2001 Edition: 458/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 3.5 x 3 inches Condition: Excellent Inscripti...
Lithograph
$571Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head VI, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head VI Year: 2001 Edition: 492/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 3.5 x 3 inches Condition: Excellent Inscripti...
Lithograph
$571Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head III, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head III Year: 2001 Edition: 485/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 3.5 x 3 inches Condition: Excellent Inscript...
Lithograph
$1,276Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty Head on Blends, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head on Blends Year: 2005 Edition: 452/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 12.75 x 10 inches Condition: Excellent...
Lithograph
$1,051Sale Price|20% Off
Statue of Liberty VII, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Statue of Liberty VII Year: 2003 Edition: 453/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 10 x 5.5 inches Condition: Excellent In...
Lithograph
$1,051Sale Price|20% Off
Statue of Liberty I, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Statue of Liberty I Year: 2003 Edition: 455/500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 10 x 5.5 inches Condition: Excellent Insc...
Lithograph
$1,243Sale Price|20% Off
Liberty & Justice for All, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty & Justice for All Year: 2002 Edition: 152/300, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 12.5 x 9 inches Condition: Excellen...
Lithograph
$283Sale Price|20% Off
Max, 4 Liberty Heads, Hand Signed, Official Edition, Peter Max (after)
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Excerpted from the Peter Max Archives, With love for his country, Peter Max has painted 'Lady Liberty' since America's Bicentennial in 1976.
Offset
Statue of Liberty, Signed Acrylic Painting by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
His works appear in the prominent collections of many museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Statue of Liberty by Peter Max, German/American (1937) Date: 2018 Acry...
Canvas, Acrylic
$432Sale Price|20% Off
Max, Statue of Liberty II, Hand Signed, Official Edition, Peter Max (after)
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
This beautiful and patriotic artwork also features a Peter Max Statue of Liberty portrait in the margin.
Offset
$432Sale Price|20% Off
Max, Statue of Liberty V, Hand Signed, Official Edition, Peter Max (after)
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Excerpted from the Peter Max Archives, This elegant artwork gorgeously reproduces one of the six majestic, 8-ft tall Statue of Liberty portraits that Peter Max painted on the White H...
Offset
Statue of Liberty, Pop Art Poster by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Peter Max, German/American (1937 -) - Statue of Liberty, Year: circa 1986, Medium: Poster, Image Size: 30.5 x 15 inches, Frame Size: 44.25 x 28.25 inches
Offset
$2,240Sale Price|20% Off
Peter Max Statue of Liberty (Signed, Stamped & Numbered) - Framed Print
By Peter Max
Located in New Orleans, LA
A large, bright, powerful image of the statue of liberty by famous American artist Peter Max. I have included a photo of this same print being offered on Artsy for significantly more...
Archival Paper
Statue of Liberty (Yellow/Green), Pop Art Lithograph by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Peter Max, German/American (1937 - ) - Statue of Liberty (Yellow/Green), Year: 1980, Medium: Lithograph, signed and dated in pencil, Edition: A/P, Size: 13 in. x 10.5 in. (33.02 ...
Lithograph
Statue of Liberty, Mixed Media Pop Art Painting by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Peter Max, German/American (1937 - ) Title: Statue of Liberty Year: 2009 Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media on Paper, signed lower right Size: 11 x 8.5 inches Frame Size: 32 x 2...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Peter Max Unique Mixed Medi, 1990, Signed, Patriotic: Full Liberty with Flag
By Peter Max
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Peter Max Title: Full Liberty with Flag Medium: Unique lithograph with acrylic and mixed media on paper Date: 2006 Portfolio: Patriotic Series Edition: One of a kind Frame Si...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Lithograph
Statue of Liberty, Pop Art Acrylic Painting on Paper by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Surrounding that is an orange and white gradient covered in different multi-tone squiggles. Statue of Liberty Peter Max, German/American (1937) Date: 2009 Acrylic and Mixed Media on...
Paper, Acrylic
1998 Peter Max Signed Arizona Iced Tea Statue of Liberty Bottle Poster 38"
By Peter Max
Located in Dayton, OH
1998 poster advertisement print of a bottle of Arizona Iced Tea featuring artwork titled "Liberty" by Peter Max. Signed in marker, lower left.
Paper
Modern Art Abstract Print of the Statue of Liberty by Peter Max Signed
By Peter Max
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous signed print by Peter Max. Framed, autographed. Signed
Metal
$2,500
"Statue of Liberty" silkscreen on paper by artist Peter Max from edition of 300
By Peter Max
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Statue of Liberty" unframed silkscreen on paper by artist Peter Max.
Screen
$2,500
“Liberty Blue”
By Peter Max
Located in Warren, NJ
Peter Max Signed Lithograph “Liberty Blue" Signed And Numbered.
Lithograph
Liberty Head
By Peter Max
Located in Indianapolis, IN
Peter Max (1937) Liberty Head (2009) Mixed media on paper Size: 11 x 8.5 in (27.94 × 21.59 cm) Frame size: 20 x 17.25 in (50.8 × 43.82 cm) Signed ===
Paper, Mixed Media
$2,000
“Liberty Head”
By Peter Max
Located in Warren, NJ
Peter Max Original Libert Head Mixed Media On Paper. In good condition measures 26x24
Mixed Media
“Liberty Head II”
By Peter Max
Located in Warren, NJ
Peter Max Original “Liberty Head II” Mixed Media On Paper.
Mixed Media
“Liberty head ii”
By Peter Max
Located in Warren, NJ
Peter Max Mixed Media Acrylic Painting “Liberty Head II”.
Mixed Media
$5,000
Liberty Head II
By Peter Max
Located in Missouri, MO
Peter Max (German, b. 1937) Liberty Head II Signed Lower Right 9.5 x 7.25 inches 23.5 x 21.5 inches with frame Peter Max, born Peter Max Finkelstein, is a multi-dimensional artist ...
Acrylic, Lithograph
“Statue of Liberty”
By Peter Max
Located in Warren, NJ
Original Peter max mixed media . In good condition. Measures 24x22. No coa but has park west original gold frame. Some minor wear to frame
Mixed Media
Statue of Liberty, Huge Original Acrylic Painting, Pop Art, Framed, 2000
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Original acrylic painting on canvas. Hand-signed and dated in acrylic on front by Peter Max. Canvas size 96 x 48 inches. Frame size aprox 100 x 52 inches. Peter Max studio catalog...
Canvas, Acrylic
Liberty Head Mixed Media on Paper, Unique, Signed, Pop Art, 2009
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Mixed media with acrylic painting and color lithography on paper. Hand-signed in acrylic paint on front by Peter Max. A unique variation. Frame size 18 x 15.5 inches. Artwork siz...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Lithograph
$156,000
Statue of Liberty, Huge Original Acrylic Painting, Pop Art, Framed, 1989, Signed
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Original acrylic painting on canvas. Hand-signed in acrylic on front by Peter Max. Canvas size 71.75 x 35.75 inches. Custom framed with hand painted filet. Frame size approx 86 x 5...
Acrylic, Canvas
Statue of Liberty Mixed Media on Paper, Unique, Signed, Pop Art, 2009
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Mixed media with acrylic painting and color lithography on paper. Hand-signed in acrylic paint on front by Peter Max. A unique variation. Frame size 18 x 15.5 inches. Artwork siz...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Lithograph
Unavailable
H 22 in W 23 in
PETER MAX Acrylic Painting ORIGINAL LIBERTY HEAD Signed Pop Art Pastel Collage
By Peter Max
Located in Bloomington, MN
PETER MAX Original One-of-a-kind Painting with Hand Painted Borders titled, "ORIGINAL LIBERTY HEAD with PROFILE 94", Custom Framed and Listed with the Submit Best Offer option Subm...
Acrylic
Unavailable
H 22 in W 22 in
PETER MAX ORIGINAL Ceramic Plate PAINTING Signed LIBERTY HEAD Pop Art Acrylic
By Peter Max
Located in Bloomington, MN
Peter Max has been a major force in the American art scene for over four generations.
Ceramic, Paint
Unavailable
H 10.5 in W 10.5 in
Peter Max Original Acrylic Painting Glazed Ceramic Plate Signed Liberty Head Art
By Peter Max
Located in Bloomington, MN
Like the one here of Lady Liberty, which gives the viewer fascinating incite into Max's captivating vision, and unmatched talents.
Ceramic, Acrylic
Unavailable
H 37 in W 22 in
PETER MAX Original Signed PAINTING on CANVAS Acrylic STATUE OF LIBERTY Head Art
By Peter Max
Located in Bloomington, MN
Artist: Peter Max Title: "Original Statue of Liberty" Medium: Original Acrylic on Canvas Year: 2002 Size: 25" x 10" w Painted Borders: 29" x 14" Framed Size: 37" x 22"
Canvas, Acrylic
Unavailable
H 60 in W 60 in
PETER MAX Original PAINTING on CANVAS Signed LIBERTY HEAD Statue of HUGE 60x60
By Peter Max
Located in Bloomington, MN
This is an ALL-ORIGINAL Authentic Large Peter Max 60x60 "ORIGINAL LIBERTY HEAD 89" Acrylic Painting on CANVAS!
Canvas, Acrylic
Unavailable
H 26 in W 24 in
PETER MAX Acrylic Painting ORIGINAL STATUE OF LIBERTY Head Signed POP ART oil
By Peter Max
Located in Bloomington, MN
PETER MAX Original One-of-a-kind Painting with Hand Painted Borders titled, "STATUE OF LIBERTY ORIGINAL", Custom Framed and Listed with the Submit Best Offer option Submit Best Of...
Acrylic
Unavailable
H 24 in W 18 in
PETER MAX original signed PAINTING GOD BLESS AMERICA statue of Liberty HEAD USA
By Peter Max
Located in Bloomington, MN
This is a Truly Spectacular (Both the frame, and, piece are in like NEW Condition) Peter Max painting titled "GOD BLESS AMERICA" offered for sale with the SUBMIT BEST OFFER OPTION. ...
Acrylic
Unavailable
H 36 in W 30 in
PETER MAX Original PAINTING PEACE ON EARTH Statue of Liberty HEAD Signed Art
By Peter Max
Located in Bloomington, MN
Artist: Peter Max Title: "Peace on Earth" Medium: Mixed Media Painting Year: 2003 Max Studio Reference #97056 Size: 24" x 18" w Painted Borders: 28" x 22" Framed Size: 36" x 30" Aski...
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Unavailable
H 36 in W 30 in
PETER MAX original signed PAINTING UNITED WE STAND Liberty HEAD Delta statue of
By Peter Max
Located in Bloomington, MN
Artist: Peter Max Title: "United We Stand" Medium: Mixed Media Painting Year: 2004 Max Studio Reference #133856 Size: 24" x 18" w Painted Borders: 28" x 22" Framed Size: 36" x 30" As...
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Unavailable
H 36 in W 30 in
PETER MAX Original PAINTING GOD BLESS AMERICA 5 Statue of Liberty HEADS Signed
By Peter Max
Located in Bloomington, MN
Artist: Peter Max Title: "God Bless America: 5 Liberties" Medium: Mixed Media Painting Year: 2003 Size: 24" x 18" w Painted Borders: 28" x 22" Framed Size: 36" x 30" Asking: $4895.00...
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Unavailable
H 52 in W 32 in
Large 40"H PETER MAX original signed PAINTING STATUE OF LIBERTY Head DELTA USA
By Peter Max
Located in Bloomington, MN
Artist: Peter Max Title: "Statue of Liberty" Medium: Mixed Media Painting Year: 2006 Size: 40" x 20" w Painted Borders: 44" x 24" Framed Size: 52" x 32" Asking: $8895.00 OBO
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Sold
H 21.25 in W 19.25 in D 1.25 in
Peter Max Liberty Head II on Blends Signed Mixed Media on Paper Framed 2000s
By Peter Max
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
Honoring the country that Peter Max loves and immigrated to as a teenager; Peter Max first painted Lady Liberty in 1976 to celebrate America's Bicentennial.
Paper
Statue of Liberty by Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in New York, NY
Statue of Liberty by Peter Max
Acrylic
Peter Max Signed "Orange Liberty" Poster
By Peter Max
Located in Astoria, NY
Peter Max (American, b. 1937), "Orange Liberty", Corcoran Gallery of Art Poster, 1981, signed and dated in ink to top, inscribed "For Ruthie / Peter Max" to lower border, in black me...
Paper
Lady Liberty, Pop Art Lithograph by Peter Max 1983
By Peter Max
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Peter Max Title: Lady Liberty Year: 1983 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 94/300 Paper Size: 30 x 21 in. (76.2 x 53.34 cm)
Lithograph
Peter Max Signed Liberty Head Limited Edition 240/300 Abstract Lithograph
By Peter Max
Located in West Hartford, CT
Colorful and iconic signed Peter Max framed abstract pop culture lithograph titled "Liberty Head".
Wood, Paper
Sold
H 16 in W 16 in
Original Acrylic/oil on Canvas Peter Max Painting w/ Provenance Delta Liberty
By Peter Max
Located in New York, NY
Max has a series of the Statue of Liberty painted.
Oil, Acrylic
Sold
H 48 in W 24 in
Peter Max Statue of Liberty Signed Large 48x24 Inch Original Painting on Canvas
By Peter Max
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Artist: Peter Max Title: Statue of Liberty Medium: Original Acrylic on Canvas Dimensions: 48" x 24" Frame: 64" x 40" x 2" Year: c. 2010-2017 Inscription: Signed "Max" on the upper fr...
Canvas, Acrylic
Sold
H 16 in W 14 in
Vintage Pop Art Statue of Liberty Mixed Media Acrylic Signed Painting, Peter Max
By Peter Max
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage pop art mixed media painting by Peter Max (born 1937). Acrylic on serigraph, circa 2008. Signed lower left. Displayed in a period modernist frame. Image, 14"L x 21"H, ov...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Sold
H 39 in W 33 in D 1 in
Peter Max God Bless America with Five Lady Liberty Figures Mixed Media Painting
By Peter Max
Located in New York, NY
Mixed media acrylic painting known as God Bless America with Five Liberties by Peter Max in its original plexiglass glazed wooden frame with linen matte and gold leaf finish. Frame ...
Paint, Paper
Sold
H 39.75 in W 33.75 in D 1.5 in
Peter Max Statue of Liberty Signed Mixed Media Acrylic Painting on Paper 2000s F
By Peter Max
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
Honoring the country that Peter Max loves and immigrated to as a teenager; Peter Max first painted Lady Liberty in 1976 to celebrate America's Bicentennial.
Paper
PETER MAX, Statue of Liberty
Located in Sheffield, MA
Bright and beautiful, fully painted original pop art. Acrylic on stretched linen. Very large and impressive. A full 3 feet by 6 feet tall in a custom metal frame. Not mixed media or ...
Acrylic, Linen
Liberty Head
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head Year: 2005 Medium: Mixed Media on archival paper Size: 30 x 24 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: Signed by the artist.
Mixed Media, Acrylic
LIBERTY HEAD
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Original painting on canvas. Hand signed on front by Peter Max with studio stamp, date and catalog number on verso. Canvas size 36 x 36 inches. Custom framed in white with hand pa...
Canvas, Acrylic
LIBERTY HEAD
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Lithograph in colors on paper. Hand signed and numbered by the artist. From the edition of 300. Frame size approx 33 x 33 inches. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate ...
Paper, Screen
Liberty Head IX
By Peter Max
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Peter Max (1937) Title: Liberty Head IX Year: 2003 Edition: 500, plus proofs Medium: Lithograph on Lustro Saxony paper Size: 3.43 x 2.62 inches Condition: Excellent Inscripti...
Lithograph
LIBERTY (BRONZE)
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand painted bronze sculpture. Each piece is unique. The artist's signature and studio copyright date incised to the base. 20.5 inches high on a 2 inch high base. From the edition o...
Bronze
LIBERTY (BRONZE)
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand painted bronze sculpture. Each piece is unique. The artist's signature, copyright date and edition number incised to the base. 20.5 inches high on a 2 inch high marble base. Art...
Bronze
Born Peter Max Finkelstein in Berlin in 1937, psychedelic Pop art icon Peter Max spent the first part of his childhood in Shanghai after his parents emigrated from Germany to flee the Nazis. While there, Max developed his deep interest in American pop culture — namely comic books, jazz and cinema. Max’s paintings, graphic design, prints and illustrations, which were inspired by these interests, were also informed by his experience with synesthesia, a sensory condition that causes him to see music and hear color.
After relocating to Haifa, Israel, then Paris, where he spent a significant amount of time in sketching classes at the Louvre, a teenage Max and his family finally moved to the United States, settling in Brooklyn. Max enrolled in the Art Students League of New York in 1956, training under Frank J. Reilly, and then the School of Visual Arts. Throughout art school, Max focused on photorealism, but he found the style too restrictive. When he graduated and opened his graphic design studio with friends in 1962, he began experimenting with abstraction and color — just in time for the psychedelic era.
The technicolor works for which Max would become known are characterized by big and bold graphic qualities — not dissimilar to what you’d find in his beloved comic books. Some deeper themes emerged across his work too: Max spent a good portion of the 1960s and 1970s creating his signature cosmic style, inspired by his fascination with astronomy and Eastern philosophies.
For Max and his partners, the graphic design business was highly successful, with commissions rolling in from advertising agencies, magazines and even Hollywood in the form of movie posters. The artist was featured on the cover of Life in 1969, and by the 1970s, he was practically a household name.
Max's body of work extended into product design, including a line of clocks for General Electric, while his domination of the commercial art scene continued for decades. He was commissioned to paint a postage stamp honoring the World’s Fair of 1974 (Expo ‘74); a Statue of Liberty series in which some proceeds went on to fund the statue’s restoration; posters and other advertising materials for major events like the Super Bowl, the U.S. Open and the Grammys; a Dale Earnhardt race car; and even the hull of the Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship.
Commercial activities aside, Max has long been the subject of many museum exhibitions, from his first solo show in 1970, “The World of Peter Max,” at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco to 2016's “Peter Max: 50 Years of Cosmic Dreaming” at the Tampa Museum of Art in Florida. Today, his work belongs to the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and other institutions.
Find original Peter Max lithographs, paintings, signed art and other works for sale on 1stDibs.
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
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.