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.
Find James Rosenquist art today on 1stDibs.
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
$600
H 21.66 in W 25.2 in D 1.58 in
French Abstract Contemporary Art by Josette Dubost - Songe en Argos
By Josette Dubost
Located in Paris, IDF
2017 oil on canvas 55 x 64 cm Josette Dubost is a French artist born in 1936 who lives & works in Solliès-Pont, France.
Canvas, Oil
$11,595
H 36 in W 36 in D 2 in
Blue Yonder-Monroe Hodder, American, Abstract, Bold, Modern, Red, Blue, Oil
By Monroe Hodder
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Blue Yonder is an original oil over acrylic on canvas painting by American artist Monroe Hodder. Hodder’s abstract paintings are gloriously bold. Inspired by the urban backdrops of h...
Oil, Canvas, Acrylic
$900
H 23.63 in W 19.69 in D 1.19 in
Chinese Contemporary Art by Renjie Gao - Portrait Series 14
By Renjie Gao
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas Renjie Gao or Jean-Michel Gao is a Chinese artist born in 1994 in Inner Mongolia. He is a member of New York Hudson Artists Association based in US. He lives & works i...
Canvas, Oil
Haven series 374 - 376
By Jerry Cabrera
Located in New Orleans, LA
Jerry Cabrera’s Light Painting series captures the preciousness and sacredness of light through his glowing and vibrant rectangular canvasses. Although abstract, Cabrera’s stacked ca...
Canvas, Oil
$1,200
H 19.69 in W 23.63 in D 1.58 in
Chinese Contemporary Art by Renjie Gao - Portrait No.8
By Renjie Gao
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas Renjie Gao or Jean-Michel Gao is a Chinese artist born in 1994 in Inner Mongolia. He is a member of New York Hudson Artists Association based in US. He lives & works i...
Canvas, Oil
$5,020
H 57.49 in W 78.75 in D 1.58 in
Bulgarian Contemporary Art by Ralitsa Stoitseva - Timelessness
By Ralitsa Stoitseva
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas Ralitsa Stoitseva is a Bulgarian artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Sofia, Bulgaria. She studied at the National Academy of Art in Sofia and has been graduated...
Canvas, Oil
$5,200
H 40 in W 30 in D 1.5 in
American Contemporary Art by Harry James Moody - Abstract N°275
By Harry James Moody
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas Harry James Moody is a German artist born in 1952 who lives and works in Los Angeles, United States. He received his training as artist at the Frankfurt Stadel Fine A...
Canvas, Oil
$17,052
H 60 in W 60 in D 2 in
River In The Sea-Monroe Hodder, American, Abstract, Bold, Modern, sea, Blue, Oil
By Monroe Hodder
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
River In The Sea is an oil on canvas painting by American artist Monroe Hodder. Hodder’s abstract paintings are gloriously bold. Inspired by the urban backdrops of her life in New Yo...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$5,200
H 40 in W 30 in D 1.5 in
American Contemporary Art by Harry James Moody - Abstract N°279
By Harry James Moody
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas Harry James Moody is a German artist born in 1952 who lives and works in Los Angeles, United States. He received his training as artist at the Frankfurt Stadel Fine A...
Canvas, Oil
Modern Abstract Expressionist Waves in Red - Contemporary Art
By Jean Soyer
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Original abstract oil painting by Jean Soyer, featuring bold sweeping gestures in vibrant red and deep black. Created on canvas, measuring 11.8 x 11.8 inches (30 x 30 cm). The artist...
Canvas, Oil
$5,570
H 63.78 in W 48.04 in D 1.58 in
Chinese Contemporary Art by Hongda - Castle of Chairs
By Hongda 1
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil painting on sailcloth Hongda is a Chinese artist born in 1984 who lives and works in Beijing, China. He is graduated from Jingdezhen Ceramic University in 2007. He deconstructs ...
Sailcloth, Oil
"Seascape, " Oil on Canvas
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Entitled "Seascape," this painting by Chicago artist Michael Thompson is a departure from the collage work of his ongoing kite series. Rendered in ...
Canvas, Latex, Oil