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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
Los Angeles Belongs to Us - Abstract Colorful City Mixed Media Artwork on Paper
Los Angeles Belongs to Us - Abstract Colorful City Mixed Media Artwork on Paper

Los Angeles Belongs to Us - Abstract Colorful City Mixed Media Artwork on Paper

By Fabio Coruzzi

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Italian artist Fabio Coruzzi merges painting and photography into one imaginative image that offers a new outlook on an otherwise ordinary urban scene. His artworks represent an auth...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art

Materials

Paper, Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Gel Pen, Graphite

Giant Donut in Inglewood (Red) - Framed Colorful Still Life Mixed Media Artwork
Giant Donut in Inglewood (Red) - Framed Colorful Still Life Mixed Media Artwork

Giant Donut in Inglewood (Red) - Framed Colorful Still Life Mixed Media Artwork

By Fabio Coruzzi

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Italian artist Fabio Coruzzi merges painting and photography into one imaginative image that offers a new outlook on an otherwise ordinary urban scene. His artworks represent an auth...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art

Materials

Paper, Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Gel Pen, Graphite, Mixed Media, Spray Paint,...

Portrait Timid Dachshund dogs Walk - FRENCH SCHOOL Chut les Barbizons! DOG
Portrait Timid Dachshund dogs Walk - FRENCH SCHOOL Chut les Barbizons! DOG

Portrait Timid Dachshund dogs Walk - FRENCH SCHOOL Chut les Barbizons! DOG

By bazevian animal

Located in Zofingen, AG

Timids Dachshund Dogs Walk In the artistic world, animals have always been key protagonists in expressing the power and beauty of the wild. Artists often use animals as symbols to ...

Category

2010s Pop Art

Materials

Glue, Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Felony Money - Original Monopoly Man Figurative Acrylic Pop Artwork by Gary John
Felony Money - Original Monopoly Man Figurative Acrylic Pop Artwork by Gary John

Felony Money - Original Monopoly Man Figurative Acrylic Pop Artwork by Gary John

By Gary John

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Gary John's pop-street artworks have a whimsical, yet exciting and bold quality inspired by classic cartoon and comic book characters. Blending pop sensibilities with a roughened fau...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Newsprint

"Bella the Buffalo" - Acrylic on Canvas
"Bella the Buffalo" - Acrylic on Canvas

"Bella the Buffalo" - Acrylic on Canvas

By Melinda McLeod

Located in West Hollywood, CA

Melinda has studied life and its movements, developing a remarkably keen artistic technique with her flowing expressionistic style. Growing up in the Midwest she was enamored with n...

Category

2010s Pop Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Only Elvis Gold Limited Edition Print, Pop Art, Signed, 40x30 Inches
Only Elvis Gold Limited Edition Print, Pop Art, Signed, 40x30 Inches

Only Elvis Gold Limited Edition Print, Pop Art, Signed, 40x30 Inches

By BATIK

Located in London, GB

Only Elvis Gold by B A T I K signed limited edition print pop art print of the infamous mock arrest mugshot of Elvis Presley. Archival pigment print paper size 40x30 inches / 1...

Category

2010s Pop Art

Materials

Color, Archival Pigment

OK Then; Everybody Out #24 - Abstract Political Figurative Color Drenched Art
OK Then; Everybody Out #24 - Abstract Political Figurative Color Drenched Art

OK Then; Everybody Out #24 - Abstract Political Figurative Color Drenched Art

By Fabio Coruzzi

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Italian artist Fabio Coruzzi merges painting and photography into one imaginative image that offers a new outlook on an otherwise ordinary urban scene. His artworks represent an auth...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Gel Pen, Graphite, Canvas

CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd COMPANION WITH HEART SERIES 28.5 inches . . .
CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd COMPANION WITH HEART SERIES 28.5 inches . . .

CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd COMPANION WITH HEART SERIES 28.5 inches . . .

By CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd

Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México

CHROMA “Companion With Heart” Sculpture — 28.5 Inches Mixed Media, Resin, Glass Beads, Acrylic Mexico City, Contemporary This striking 28.5-inch CHROMA “Companion With Heart” sculpt...

Category

2010s Pop Art

Materials

Glass, Resin, Mixed Media

Lifetime of Adventures - Original Framed Figurative Man & Woman Pop Art Painting
Lifetime of Adventures - Original Framed Figurative Man & Woman Pop Art Painting

Lifetime of Adventures - Original Framed Figurative Man & Woman Pop Art Painting

By Nelson De La Nuez

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Nelson De La Nuez is one of the most sought-after contemporary Pop artists practicing today. His striking, vivid mixed media artwork borrows motifs and messages from the language of ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Pink COW

Pink COW

By Andy Warhol

Located in New York, NY

Andy Warhol’s, Pink COW is an original screenprint in colors created in 1977, with the artist’s printed name and "Nov. 18, 1976 to Jan. 9, 1977 copyright AWE" on the left margin; on ...

Category

20th Century Pop Art

Materials

Screen

CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd PERFECT HAND: REACHING OUT SERIES 2026 30 inches . . .
CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd PERFECT HAND: REACHING OUT SERIES 2026 30 inches . . .

CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd PERFECT HAND: REACHING OUT SERIES 2026 30 inches . . .

By CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd

Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México

PERFECT HAND: REACHING OUT SERIES 30-Inch Huichol Beaded Sculpture CHROMA / Wolfryd Collection This monumental 30-inch beaded Hand sculpture from the REACHING OUT SERIES transforms a...

Category

2010s Pop Art

Materials

Glass, Resin, Mixed Media

Red Board - Abstract Vibrant Mid Century Modern Pool Water Still Life Painting
Red Board - Abstract Vibrant Mid Century Modern Pool Water Still Life Painting

Red Board - Abstract Vibrant Mid Century Modern Pool Water Still Life Painting

By Michael Giliberti

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Michael Giliberti’s original artworks are characterized by vivid colors and powerful compositions. His work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern wall art. The inspirations ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Flowers II.6
Flowers II.6

Flowers II.6

By Andy Warhol

Located in New York, NY

1964 Offset lithograph in colors, on wove paper Sheet: 23 x 23 in. (58.4 x 58.4 cm) Edition of 300 Signed and dated in black ink, lower right Unframed, excellent condition

Category

1960s Pop Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

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.