Velvet Underground
1960s Black and White Photography
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
1970s Pop Art Black and White Photography
Photographic Paper
1960s Pop Art Black and White Photography
Silver Gelatin
1980s Contemporary Black and White Photography
Archival Pigment
1990s American Musical Instruments
Vintage 1960s British Contemporary Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Photography
Pigment
20th Century Black and White Photography
Silver Gelatin
1960s Black and White Photography
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, C Print, Archival Pigment
1980s Pop Art Portrait Photography
Silver Gelatin
Vintage 1980s American Posters
Paper
2010s Street Art Portrait Paintings
Oil
1960s Pop Art More Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil, Gouache, Board
1960s Pop Art More Art
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21st Century and Contemporary Prints and Multiples
Offset
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1960s Pop Art Prints and Multiples
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1960s Pop Art More Art
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1960s Pop Art More Art
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1960s Pop Art Prints and Multiples
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1960s Pop Art More Art
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Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Posters
1960s Pop Art More Art
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1960s Pop Art More Art
Wood, Screen
1960s Pop Art More Prints
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1960s Pop Art More Prints
Lithograph, Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Prints and Multiples
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1960s Pop Art Mixed Media
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1960s Pop Art Mixed Media
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1960s Pop Art Mixed Media
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1960s Pop Art More Art
Wood, Screen
1960s Pop Art More Art
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1960s Pop Art More Art
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1980s Pop Art Prints and Multiples
Screen
1960s Pop Art More Art
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1980s Minimalist Prints and Multiples
Screen
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Velvet Underground For Sale on 1stDibs
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A Close Look at pop-art Art
Perhaps one of the most influential contemporary-art movements, Pop art emerged in the 1950s. In stark contrast to traditional artistic practice, it drew on imagery from popular culture — comic books, advertising, product packaging and other commercial media — to create paintings and sculptures that celebrated ordinary life in the most literal way.
Pop art started in Britain 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 Andy Warhol, whose clever appropriation of motifs and images helped to transform the artistic style into a lifestyle. Most of the best-known Pop artists 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 American Pop artist. 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 a collection of Pop art prints, photography and other works on 1stDibs.
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