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
Abstract Expressionist Composition on Black
By Ross H. Pollette
Located in Soquel, CA
Colorful and dynamic abstract composition by Ross H. Pollette, who also paints under the pseudonyms 'Max West' (American, b. 1948). Pollette has used oil, in...
Canvas, Ink, Mixed Media, Oil
$2,760Sale Price|20% Off
H 22 in W 26 in D 1.5 in
Paul K. Smith New Mexico Adobe Church Oil Painting, American Modernist 1940s
By Paul Kauvar Smith
Located in Denver, CO
This evocative 1930s–1940s vintage oil painting by Denver modernist Paul K. Smith depicts a timeless New Mexico adobe church, likely inspired by the iconic San ...
Oil
$6,000
H 52.5 in W 40.5 in D 1.5 in
"Modernist Nude" Mid Century Bold Colorful Abstract Nude Painting Oil on Canvas
Located in New York, NY
A strong modernist oil painting depicted in the 1950s by Russian, American painter Helen Stein. Mostly known for her abstract figures on canvas, this piece...
Canvas, Oil
$5,750
H 30 in W 24 in D 1.5 in
Shovel Handles, 1950s Framed American Modernist Oil Painting, Green Bronze Blue
By Paul Kauvar Smith
Located in Denver, CO
"Shovel Handles" is an original 1953 semi-abstract modernist oil painting on board by renowned Denver artist Paul K. Smith (1893-1977). This captivating piece showcases Smith’s signa...
Oil
$1,450
H 20.5 in W 13.5 in D 1.75 in
George Cecil Carter Mid-Century Modern Abstract Figurative Oil Painting, 1950s
Located in Denver, CO
This rare 1950s oil painting by Colorado abstract expressionist George Cecil Carter presents an abstracted figurative portrait of a couple—believed to represent Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz. Rendered with bold brushwork and a dynamic modernist palette, the piece reflects Carter’s distinctive ability to merge abstraction with figuration, capturing both movement and emotional depth. Housed in a custom frame, the painting comes from a private collection in Denver, Colorado. Carter (1908–1993) was a central figure in Colorado’s mid-century modernist movement. A self-taught artist influenced by modernist painter Charles Ragland Bunnell, Carter developed a uniquely expressive style that drew upon his working-class background as a miner and machinist. He exhibited nationally and worked alongside artists including Al Wynne, Mary Chenoweth...
Oil
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
H 36 in W 26 in D 1 in
Till It All Withers 3 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Mixed Media, Men
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Samson Olatubos...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Photographic Paper
Forgot 7
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
"Forgot 7" Oil on Canvas features an abstract form surrounded by characters and a surreal landscape. The canvas is painted with shades of green, blue, yellow, and white. Frank Arnold is viewed as one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculptors of our time. He is a living master guided by a personal mission to “turn on a light in the human soul,” through his passionate creation of “Messengers” from his deeper mind connection with Carl Jung's archetypal images, the collective unconscious, and Jungian Synchronicity. These unconscious forms from his deeper mind resonate as personal messages of universal acceptance, reaching out to the viewer. Arnold has been honored as IAD Artist of the year 2018 by International Artist Day, and 2013 FAC Horizon Artist Award. He has exhibited his artwork in numerous galleries and museums and is in collections worldwide. Arnold divides his working days between oil painting in San Jose del Cabo, Baja Sur...
Canvas, Oil
Moving 5
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
“Moving 5” is 60”x 48”. The vibrant yellow surface tones of this piece are broken in several places allowing random glimpses of Arnold’s dreamlike underpainting for a multi-dimension...
Canvas, Oil
$18,000
H 31 in W 37.75 in
"Restaurant" Adelaide Lawson Gaylor, American Modernist Interior Party Scene
Located in New York, NY
Adelaide Lawson Gaylor Restaurant Signed lower right Oil on canvas 24 1/4 x 30 inches Modernist artist Adelaide Jaffrey Lawson Gaylor was born in New York City and studied at the A...
Canvas, Oil
"The Power (People)" 1970 Olaf Karlsen
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"The Power (People)" 1970 Olaf Karlsen (b. 1947) Oil on canvas Signed front and back. 28 1/4 x 40 inches (frame) Olaf Karlsen has managed to remain a m...
Canvas, Oil
$18,000
H 49.5 in W 46.5 in
"New York Skyline" Adelaide Lawson Gaylor, Modernist Landscape, Female Artist
Located in New York, NY
Adelaide Lawson Gaylor New York Skyline, circa 1925 Oil on canvas 48 x 45 inches Modernist artist Adelaide Jaffrey Lawson Gaylor was born in New York City and studied at the Art St...
Canvas, Oil
Studio 1528
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
"Studio 1528" Oil on Canvas presents a bold visage in blues and white on a mixed field dominated by blues and green tone. Frank Arnold is viewed as one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculptors of our time. He is a living master guided by a personal mission to “turn on a light in the human soul,” through his passionate creation of “Messengers” from his deeper mind connection with Carl Jung's archetypal images, the collective unconscious, and Jungian Synchronicity. These unconscious forms from his deeper mind resonate as personal messages of universal acceptance, reaching out to the viewer. Arnold has been honored as IAD Artist of the year 2018 by International Artist Day, and 2013 FAC Horizon Artist Award. He has exhibited his artwork in numerous galleries and museums, and is in collections worldwide. Arnold divides his working days between oil painting in San Jose del Cabo, Baja Sur...
Canvas, 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
