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.
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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
$2,500
H 21 in W 41 in
Mid-Century Modern American Oil Painting Abstract Female artist Museum red pink
By Anita Johnson
Located in Buffalo, NY
Anita Johnson Untitled (Red Theater), c. late 1960s Oil on canvas Framed dimensions: 21 in. H × 41 in. W Contemporary black floater frame With its cinematic horizontality and comman...
Canvas, Oil
$6,000
H 48 in W 36 in
Two Lovers - Abstract Figurative Oil Painting on Canvas, 21st Century
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mark Acetelli’s oil and mixed media paintings awaken the viewer’s sense of exploration and adventure; they demand a new discovery. His artworks exhibit a chemistry of complexity and ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,275
H 25.5 in W 1 in D 28.5 in
Abstract Composition by Zoute (Leon Salter) Mid Century
Located in Rochester, NY
Abstract Modernist oil painting by Zoute. Oil on canvas mounted on board. Painted in circa 1940's. Zoute (Born-Leon Salter, 1903-1976) was self-taught and well exhibited during his l...
Canvas, Oil
$675
H 25 in W 21 in D 2 in
Antique American Modernist Surreal Beach Scene Still Life Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Impressive early American modernist sunset beach scene oil painting. Framed. Oil on canvas. Signed. Image size, 24H by 20L.
Canvas, Oil
$5,323
H 35.44 in W 35.44 in D 1.19 in
NYC Rain III - original abstract impressionism painting - contemporary art
By José Martinez
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
Fruit Cluster
By James Koenig
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original modern abstract by American artist James Koenig. This work created in 1954 is featured in the Draw Near exhibition currently on view at Benjaman Gallery.
Canvas, Oil
$10,000
H 55 in W 33 in D 2.5 in
Expressionist Abstract #8, multi colored, Philadelphia artist, signed
By Morris Lewis Blackman
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Expressionist Abstract #8" is a 50 x 28 inches oil on canvas work by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The painting is signed in the artist's monogram "MLB" in the lower left and it is estate stamped on verso. Additional shipping options are available by contacting the seller via 1stDibs messaging system. Morris Blackman...
Oil, Canvas
Abstract Expressionist Untitled Composition
By Don Fink
Located in Surfside, FL
Don Fink (1923-2010) was a well known and well listed Abstract Expressionist who studied at the Art Students League and the Academie Julien. He was born in Duluth , Minnesota, but la...
Canvas, Oil
$28,000
H 50 in W 64 in D 2 in
White Pidgeon, La Paloma Blanca, Modernist Abstract, 1962, Framed Oil on Canvas
By Leon Kelly
Located in Doylestown, PA
"White Pidgeon - La Paloma Blanca" by Philadelphia born modernist and surrealist painter Leon Kelly, is a large scale Modernist Abstract painting. The 40" x 54" oil on canvas is sign...
Canvas, Oil
$2,275
H 67 in W 25 in D 2 in
Vintage Large American Modernist Surreal Framed Abstract Signed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Impressive early American modernist abstract painting by Alton S. Tobey (1914 - 2005). Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed. Image size, 24 by 66 inches.
Canvas, Oil
A Warning
Located in San Francisco, CA
Copenhagen-born American artist Soren Edsberg (1945-2021) combined abstraction with impressionism in this vision of Armageddon. The son of a Danish painter, Edsberg converted in 1961...
Canvas, Oil
$10,000
H 47 in W 41 in D 2.5 in
Biomorphic Abstract #1 by Philadelphia Expressionist Painter
By Morris Lewis Blackman
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Biomorphic Abstract #1" is a 46 x 30 inches oil on canvas work by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The painting is signed and dated "MLB 61-62" in the lower left and it is...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 22.75 in W 40 in
Rouge Pad (State 2), Limited Edition Etching & Aquatint, James Rosenquist
By James Rosenquist
Located in Southampton, NY
JAMES ROSENQUIST (1933-2017) A leader and highly recognized pop artist, Rosenquist used the techniques in his work that he learned as a commercial billboard painter. This was perfect...
Etching, Aquatint