Roy Lichtenstein is one of the principal figures of the American Pop art movement, along with Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist, Claes Oldenburg and Robert Rauschenberg.
Drawing inspiration from comic strips, Lichtenstein appropriated techniques commercial printing in his paintings, introducing a vernacular sensibility to the visual landscape of contemporary art. He employed visual elements such as the halftone dots that comprise a printed image, and a comic-inspired use of primary colors gave his paintings their signature “Pop” palette.
Born and raised in New York City, Lichtenstein enjoyed Manhattan’s myriad cultural offerings and comic books in equal measure. He began painting seriously as a teenager, studying watercolor painting at the Parsons School of Design in the late 1930s, and later at the Art Students League, where he worked with American realist painter Reginald Marsh. He began his undergraduate education at Ohio State University in 1940, and after a three-year stint in the United States Army during World War II, he completed his bachelor’s degree and then his master’s in fine arts. The roots of Lichtenstein’s interest in the convergence of high art and popular culture are evident even in his early years in Cleveland, where in the late 1940s, he taught at Ohio State, designed window displays for a department store and painted his own pieces.
Working at the height of the Abstract Expressionist movement in the 1950s, Lichtenstein deliberately eschewed the sort of painting that was held in high esteem by the art world and chose instead to explore the visual world of print advertising and comics. This gesture of recontextualizing a lowbrow image by importing it into a fine-art context would become a trademark of Lichtenstein’s artistic style, as well as a vehicle for his critique of the concept of good taste. His 1963 painting Whaam! confronts the viewer with an impact scene from a 1962-era issue of DC Comics’ All American Men of War. Isolated from its larger context, this image combines the playful lettering and brightly colored illustration of the original comic with a darker message about military conflict at the height of the Cold War. Crying Girl from the same year featured another of Lichtenstein’s motifs — a woman in distress, depicted with a mixture of drama and deadpan humor. His work gained a wider audience by creating a comic-inspired mural for the New York State Pavilion of the 1964 World's Fair, he went on to be represented by legendary New York gallerist Leo Castelli for 30 years.
In the 1970s and ’80s, Lichtenstein experimented with abstraction and began exploring basic elements of painting, as in this 1989 work Brushstroke Contest. In addition to paintings in which the brushstroke itself became the central subject, in 1984 he created a large-scale sculpture called Brushstrokes in Flight for the Port Columbus International Airport in Ohio. Still Life with Windmill from 1974 and the triptych Cow Going Abstract from 1982 both demonstrate a break from his earlier works where the subjects were derived from existing imagery. Here, Lichtenstein paints subjects more in line with the norms of art history — a pastoral scene and a still life — but he has translated their compositions into his signature graphic style, in which visual elements of printed comics are still a defining feature.
Lichtenstein’s work is represented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, and many others. He was awarded National Medal of Arts in 1995, two years before he passed away.
Find a collection of Roy Lichtenstein prints, drawings and more on 1stDibs.
Indian with Pipe
By Roy Lichtenstein
Located in New York, NY
This exceptional oil on canvas by master Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein is an exceptional and unique example of his early pre-pop work. It is signed by the artist, upper right. After m...
Canvas, Oil
Price Upon Request
The Diver
By Roy Lichtenstein
Located in Long Island City, NY
This is an important early painting by Lichtenstein. It will be included in forthcoming Catalogue Raisonne by the Lichtenstein Association. Artist: Roy Lic...
Oil
$4,818
H 23.82 in W 19.69 in
Mary Magdalene - Oil on Canvas by Italian School 19th cent.
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on canvas. cm 60.5 x 2 x 50 Nice Oil painting (Italian School of XIX century) with a rapid sign and intense colors backgrpound. Some color cracking on left margin and top edge, ...
Oil
$1,072
H 15.75 in W 11.82 in D 1.19 in
Interior with Five Children - Oil Painting on Canvas - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Interior with Five Children is an original oil painting on canvas applied on panel. This painting has been realized between the end of the 19th century ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,445
H 9.45 in W 13.39 in D 0.2 in
Woman Lying Down on White Cloth - Oil Painting - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Woman Lying Down on White Cloth is an artwork realized by an Italian Artist in mid-20th Century. Oil on cardboard 24x34 cm. Good conditions.
Oil, Cardboard
Sicilian Farmhouse
By Yves Brayer
Located in London, GB
'Sicilian Farmhouse', oil on canvas, by Yves Brayer (circa 1950s). A dedicated lover of Mediterranean countries and their varied landscapes, this charming and diminutive work by the ...
Canvas, Oil
$2,500
H 31.5 in W 27.5 in
Sephardic Jewish Men Vibrant Judaica Vintage Oil Painting Israeli Artist Goldman
By Albert Goldman
Located in Surfside, FL
This depicts Middle Eastern jewish men of Sefardic descent. At least one appears to be a Rabbi. ALBERT GOLDMAN Born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1922, Albert Goldman started drawing and ...
Canvas, Oil
$107,219
H 42.13 in W 52.76 in D 0.79 in
Oriental Slave Traders - Oil Painting on Canvas - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Oriental slave traders is a modern artwork realized in the 19th century. Colored oil painting on canvas realized with superb and refined technique following all main philhellenic st...
Canvas, Oil
$3,857
H 27.17 in W 35.44 in D 1.19 in
Still Life on a Table - Oil Painting on Canvas - 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Still Life on a Table is an original oil painting on canvas realized in the 20th Century. Good conditions (the painting has been restored in some parts). Frame included (83x108 cm).
Canvas, Oil
$711
H 8.67 in W 6.3 in D 1.19 in
Via di San Leonardo, Florence (Italy) - Oil Paint - 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Via di San Leonardo, Florence (Italy) is an oil painting on pressed cardboard realized at the beginning of the 20th Century. Good condition (light color degradation). Frame included.
Oil
Black is Beautiful
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gallery) About Artist Abiodun Nafiu Azeez is an accomplished artist with a diverse background in contemporary painting, particularly Osogbo art. However, his true passion lies in abstract expression, where he seeks to promote African art, culture, and nature. Influenced by his artist father, he paints to preserve memories and connect with broader societal concerns. Abiodun's artistic style is characterized by the abstraction and simplification of human compositions. He employs vibrant oil colors, often focusing on primary colors that transition into secondary and tertiary hues. His subjects stand out against neutral backgrounds, creating a harmonious balance in his paintings. A prominent feature in his works is the use of red, blue, and yellow tones, subtly blended to emphasize form and shape. His artistic journey includes training under renowned bead painting contemporary artist Jimoh Buraimoh...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
'Port of Saint-Malo', French Modern School
Located in London, GB
'Port of Saint-Malo', oil on canvas affixed to board, French Modern School (1984). Although the artist dated this painting '84, it depicts a nostalgic view of the port of Saint-Malo in Western France's, Brittany in 1884 judging by the clothing worn by the characters depicted. The crowd on the shoreline is watching a sailboat regatta starting just inside the port's breakwater. A rather rare sunny day in Brittany brought out the parasols of the sitting ladies on the edge of the old ramparts. The walled city...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Lions - Oil Painting - 1950 ca
Located in Roma, IT
Lions is an oil painting realized by an unknown artist. Oil on canvas, signed lower right ''Lync...'' (last letter illegible), below dated 1945, patch with retouch on the nose of t...
Oil
$800Sale Price|20% Off
H 20 in W 16 in D 1 in
"Paris Light" Abstract Figure w Gown French Haute Couture Oil Painting on Canvas
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
Exploring the purity of the feminine form and the drama of French haute couture, artist Cindy Shaoul creates a dialogue between the figurative and the abstract. Her spirited composit...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
Indian
By Roy Lichtenstein
Located in New York, NY
This oil on canvas by master Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein is an exceptional and unique example of his early work. It is signed and dated in oil, lower left recto. After moving to Cl...
Canvas, Oil
