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.
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
$1,026
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
$1,120Sale Price|20% Off
H 39.38 in W 33.86 in D 0 in
Original Vintage David Hockney Exhibition Poster 'New York Film Festival', 1981
By David Hockney
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
Original vintage David Hockney exhibition poster 'New York Film Festival', 1981 Step into the vibrant world of David Hockney, where every stroke of his brush tells a story of boundl...
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
$478
H 34.65 in W 22.45 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Poster Moscow Olympic Games Flame Torch Sport Peace Friendship
Located in London, GB
Original vintage Soviet sports poster for the 22nd Summer Olympic Games / Games of the XXII Olympiad in 1980 held in Moscow Russia featuring a gr...
Paper
$1,026
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
UNITED AIR LINES - NEW YORK Original Vintage Airline Travel Poster
By Stan Galli
Located in Chicago, IL
UNITED AIR LINES - NEW YORK - STATUE OF LIBERTY Authentic original vintage midcentury airline travel poster Artist: Stan Galli Condition: A/A- Dimensions: 25 x 40.4 in. / 63.5 x 102....
Paper
$615
H 34.26 in W 22.45 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Sport Poster Summer Olympic Games 1980 Moscow Russia Москва
Located in London, GB
Original vintage sport poster promoting the 22nd Summer Olympic Games / Games of the XXII Olympiad in 1980 held in Moscow Russia featuring the title ?????? / Moskva / Moscow in bold ...
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
$8,893
H 39.38 in W 25.01 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Sport Poster Winter Olympic Games 1936 Germany Ludwig Hohlwein
By Ludwig Hohlwein
Located in London, GB
Original vintage sport poster - Germany 1936 IV Olympic Winter Games Garmisch Partenkirchen 6-16 February - featuring dynamic artwork by Ludwig Hohlwein (1874-1949) depicting a skier wearing a bib with the Olympic rings symbol on it, holding his skis on the left with his right arm in the air celebrating his victory in front of snowy mountain peaks visible in the background, the text below in red and white letters and information at the bottom - For particulars apply to the Organising Committee of the IVth Olympic Winter Games 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Bavaria. Published by the Reichsbahn Centrale for the German Travel Agents...
Paper
$7,524
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
BLOW-UP 1970'S Original Italian Film Movie Poster
Located in Bath, Somerset
Fabulous country-of-original release Italian poster for the 1967 classic Blow-up.Often sold as first-year-of-release, this printing (featuring the same design as the first release) i...
Linen, Paper
$8,893
H 39.77 in W 25.2 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Sport Poster Olympic Games Berlin 1936 Franz Wurbel English
By Franz Würbel
Located in London, GB
Original vintage Summer Olympic Games poster for the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin from 1-16 August published by the German Railways Head Office for Tourist Traffic and the Propa...
Paper