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
$390
H 13 in W 9.45 in D 0.79 in
"For Granted I." (quiet, floral, soft, natural, abstract, antique French linen)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
"For Granted I.", 2024, Paris, France "For Granted I." is a quiet, rich and cerebral abstract painting using a subtle but powerful color palette of brown, magenta, purple, green and...
Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
$450
H 16.15 in W 13 in D 0.79 in
"Doves for the Dorians I" (pink, green, white, Greek warrior. sword, painting)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
The Dorians played a significant role in the development of the Greek city-states during the Bronze Age -- and Doves are widely recognized as symbols of peace, primarily in the bibli...
Canvas, Dye, Oil, Acrylic
$1,424
H 21.66 in W 18.12 in D 0.79 in
Holy Split I Mixed Media Original Painting on Canvas, Abstract Landscape, 2026
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
HOLY SPLIT I 2026 Paris, France HOLY SPLIT I is an ethereal mixed medium painting on canvas depicting a surreal dreamlike rift in a serene landscape. Abstract fuchsia forms suggesti...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Pencil
$550
H 16.15 in W 10.63 in D 0.79 in
"Wraiths Petals" (abstract, dark, flora, floral landscape, black, pink, green)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
WRAITHS, PETALS 2024 Paris, France "Wraiths, Petals" is a dark, flora, atmospheric painting that blends organic forms with abstraction. Created using a mix of oil paint, oil stick, ...
Oil Crayon, Dye, Cotton Canvas, Ink, Oil, Acrylic
$850
H 21.66 in W 18.12 in D 0.79 in
"An Urgent Man" (Abstract, Black & White, Figurative Oil Painting, Neutral Tone)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
AN URGENT MAN 2020 Paris, France Oil and acrylic on canvas portray a ‘derbyed’ man attempting to shed the weighted armor of his obligations and persona. A very loose nod to the character from René Magritte’s 1964 painting, ‘The Son of Man...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$390
H 13 in W 9.45 in D 0.79 in
"For Granted II." (flora, quiet, soft, natural, abstract, antique French linen)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
"For Granted II.", 2024, Paris, France "For Granted II." is a quiet, rich and cerebral abstract painting using a subtle but powerful color palette of brown, magenta, purple, green a...
Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
$1,750
H 25.6 in W 21.26 in D 1.38 in
"Habitual II" (flora, rich, cerebral, abstract, black & white, antique canvas)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
"Habitual II", 2023, Paris, France This rich and cerebral abstract painting uses a subtle but powerful color palette of brown, pink, and white oil paints and wood stain to create visual texture and depth. The artist selected a French, antique postal...
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel, Oil
L'Aube menacée
By Yasse Tabuchi
Located in PARIS, FR
powerful abstract composition defined by a restrained, almost monochromatic palette of blacks, greys, and subtle earthy tones. The surface is richly worked, with sweeping gestures an...
Canvas, Oil
Abstract Orange, Yellow, Pink
By Frederick Conway
Located in New Orleans, LA
Frederick Conway (1900-1973) was a painter, educator, and lecturer. Conway was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, and studied at the Saint Louis School of...
Canvas, Oil
Abstract Triptych
By Stuart Bigley
Located in Germantown, NY
Stuart Bigley is an artist based in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley. He has been making and showing his artwork for over 40 years. During this time he also co-founded and ran the ...
Acrylic Polymer, Canvas, Oil
Abstraction in Yellows
By Stuart Bigley
Located in Germantown, NY
Stuart Bigley is an artist based in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley. He has been making and showing his artwork for over 40 years. During this time he also co-founded and ran the ...
Canvas, Oil
$450
H 16.15 in W 13 in D 0.79 in
"Doves for the Dorians II" (pink, green, white, Greek warrior. sword, painting)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
The Dorians played a significant role in the development of the Greek city-states during the Bronze Age -- and Doves are widely recognized as symbols of peace, primarily in the story...
Canvas, Dye, Oil, Acrylic
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