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.
$2,399Sale Price|20% Off
James Rosenquist Etching Astronomical Blackboard AP
By James Rosenquist
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
ASTRONOMICAL BLACKBOARD (G.149), 1978, etching, signed in pencil, from the numbered edition of 11/15 AP image 17 ¾ x 35 ¾”, full margins Abstract Art , Pop Art Frame: 44"x27''
Glass, Paint, Paper
$2,399Sale Price|20% Off
James Rosenquist Etching " Other Great Cities" AP
By James Rosenquist
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
James Rosenquist " Other Great Cities" 1978, etching, signed in pencil, from the numbered edition of 29/78 image 17 ¾ x 35 ¾”, full margins Abstract Art , Pop Art Frame: 46"x3...
Glass, Paint, Paper
1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympic Games - James Rosenquist Original Vintage Poster
By James Rosenquist
Located in Winchester, GB
Celebrated American artist James Rosenquist was one of several artists commissioned to create poster artworks to celebrate the 1983 Sarajevo Winter Olympic Games. The games in ...
Paper
1970 New York Film Festival Rosenquist Original Vintage Poster
By James Rosenquist
Located in Winchester, GB
Beautiful poster for the 8th New York Film Festival, held between September 10th to 20th 1970 at the Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center. This piece "Short Cuts" was designed by the ...
Paper
James Rosenquist "Pyramid Between Two Dry Lakes" Print
By James Rosenquist
Located in Highland, IN
This print by important American artist James Rosenquist (b. 1933) is titled "Pyramid Between Two Dry Lakes". It is an etching and aquatint with pochoir printed on Pescia Italia by F...
Paper
Kiki Smith Etching
By Kiki Smith
Located in Long Island City, NY
“Prints mimic what we are as humans. We are all the same and yet everyone is different. I also think there’s a spiritual power in repetition, a devotional quality, like saying rosari...
Paper
Iridescent Oil Paint and Wax on Paper by James Nares
By James Nares
Located in Stamford, CT
Unique oil paint and wax on paper by James Nares ( British, b. 1953 ). Untitled. circa 2008. Archivally framed in a 12-karat white gold frame.
Paper
Hans Fischer "Beasties" Etchings
By Hans Fischer
Located in Atlanta, GA
Hans Fischer "Beasties" etchings, circa 1959. These etchings are from the limited edition folio ''Homme Deguise en Homme" and dep...
Glass, Wood, Paper
$3,300
H 39.8 in W 30.3 in D 0.1 in
AMERICAN AIRLINES TO NEW YORK Original Vintage Airline Travel Poster
By Weimer Pursell
Located in Chicago, IL
AMERICAN AIRLINES TO NEW YORK Rare authentic original vintage airline travel poster Artist: Weimer Pursell Condition: A- Dimensions: 30.3 x 39.8 in. / ...
Paper
$1,027
H 33.08 in W 22.05 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Poster Olympic Winter Games 1980 Lake Placid New York Ski Sport
Located in London, GB
Original vintage sport advertising poster for the XIII Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1980 held in New York USA from 13-24 February featuring a dynamic illustration of two skiers i...
Paper
Victor Skrebneski Film Festival Poster, circa 1980
Located in New York, NY
An original vintage Victor Skrebneski (American): “Deborah” Poster for the Chicago International Film Festival. USA, circa 1980. Unframed. Paper size: 36-1/2" x 27" (91.4 x 68.6 c...
Paper
$305
H 10.04 in W 8.08 in D 0 in
Antique Sea Battle Print Between an American and a British Ship, 1847
Located in Langweer, NL
Description: Antique print titled 'Seetreffen zwischen dem Amerikanischen Schiffe 'United States' und dem Brittischen Schiffe 'Macedonian'. Two images on one sheet. The upper ima...
Paper
$1,027
H 34.65 in W 22.45 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Sport Poster Moscow Olympic Games Bitsa Park Equestrian Stadium
Located in London, GB
Original vintage sport event poster for the 1980 Moscow Olympic equestrian competitions featuring a futuristic image of people walking around the paved area with grass borders next t...
Paper
$9,850
H 71.75 in W 43.75 in D 0.5 in
Horizon Marine Tapestry by Jean Picart Le Doux, Signed, Great Condition
By Jean Picart Le Doux
Located in Kansas City, MO
Large Jean Picart Le Doux "Horizon Marin" tapestry handwoven at Atelier Pinton in Aubusson France. Signed. Limited edition. Virtually no signs of wear. ...
Wool
$7,532
H 33.86 in W 33.86 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Sport Poster Mexico Olympic Games 1968 Lance Wyman
By Lance Wyman
Located in London, GB
Original vintage sport poster for 1968 Mexico Olympic Games officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad held from 12-27 October 1968, featuring the iconic eye-catching event lo...
Paper
Helen Frankenthaler Color Etching
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Ganymede, 1978 Etching with aquatint 9/49 Pencil signed and dated by the artist.
Paper
Important Antique Scottish History Print, after James Gillray, 1786
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful oval stipple engraving after James Gillray Showing the meeting of Colonel Gardiner with his daughters before the Battle of Prestonpans. Set against the background of sterl...
Gesso, Paper
James Rosenquist Rinse Etching
By James Rosenquist
Located in BROOKLYN, NY
James Rosenquist (1933-2017) Rinse, 1978 Etching and aquatint with pochoir in colors on wove paper 17-3/4 x 35-3/4 inches (45.1 x 90.8 cm) (image) Ed. 6/78 Signed, numbered, dated, a...
Glass, Paint, Paper
James Rosenquist 1983 "New York Says It", 241/250 Screenprint
By James Rosenquist
Located in Philadelphia, PA
James Rosenquist 1983 "New York Says It" Screenprint 241/250. In nice Original Condition. Unframed.
Paper
Sold
H 30 in W 47 in D 1.5 in
Mid-Century Modern Framed Etching Rouge Pad Signed James Rosenquist 62/78 1970s
By James Rosenquist
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
For your consideration is a magnificent, abstract etching, "Rouge Pad," signed in pencil and numbered 62/78 by James Rosenquist, 1978. Frame is in good vintage condition, art is in e...
Paper
"Federal Spending" by James Rosenquist Ed. 18/78 - Pencil Signed
By James Rosenquist
Located in New York, NY
Artist: James Rosenquist Title: Federal spending Year: 1978 Medium: Etching/Aquatint Signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 18/78 Paper size: 23 x 40 inches Frame: 29.5" H x 4...
Paint
Sold
H 37.75 in W 38.75 in D 1.5 in
For The Young Artist by James Rosenquist, Pop Art Screen Print, Signed
By James Rosenquist
Located in New York, NY
For the young artist by James Rosenquist, Pop Art screen print, signed. Medium scale five color screen print having both an abstract and representational imagery. From bottom left to...
Plexiglass, Maple, Paper
Sold
H 33 in W 28 in D 1.5 in
Mid-Century Modern Framed Embossed Lithograph Signed James Rosenquist, 1970s
By James Rosenquist
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
For your consideration is a wonderful, framed and embossed lithograph, entitled "Pulling Out," numbered 39/39, signed and dated by James Rosenquist...
"Rails" Lithograph by James Rosenquist
By James Rosenquist
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A bold and graphic lithograph by James Rosenquist that is entirely monochromatic other than the accent of blue in the characters on the left side of the work. Titled, numbered (34/40...
Alphabet Avalanche by James Rosenquist
By James Rosenquist
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Alphabet Avalanche," a lithograph by renowned American Pop artist James Rosenquist. Number 59/85 and printed on hand-torn paper, the piece features striking imagery creating a visu...
Linen, Acrylic, Lithograph, Paper