Roy Lichtenstein

(American, 1923 - 1997)

“Pop Art looks out into the world. It doesn’t look like a painting of something, it looks like the thing itself.”
— Roy Lichtenstein

Pop Art leader Roy Lichtenstein’s best known works are similar, but not identical, enlarged replicas of comic book panels. He was a prolific artist who evolved over time, but his most recognizable style has characteristic dots, flat colors, and unyielding lines. "Lichtenstein did no more or less for comics than Andy Warhol did for soup," cartoonist Art Spiegelman said of his impact.

Roy Lichtenstein was born in New York City. His parents were Beatrice, a homemaker and Milton Lichtenstein, a successful real estate developer. As a youngster, Roy had a passion for science and comic books. As he grew into his teen years, art began to interest him, and he took watercolor classes at Parsons School of Design in 1937 and at the Art Students League in 1940. He then moved from New York to Ohio to attend the Ohio State University, however, he put his studies on hold for three years when he was drafted and sent to Europe for World War II in 1943, where he served as an orderly, draftsman, and artist.

After the war, in 1946, Lichtenstein returned to Ohio State and finished his bachelor’s degree in fine art, and then his master’s degree. He would be an intermittent art instructor at Ohio State during the next ten years. In 1949, he married Isabel Wilson. He moved to Cleveland in 1951, and had his first solo exhibition at the Carlebach Gallery in New York the same year. He would live in Cleveland for six years taking frequent trips back to New York, working varied jobs like department store window decorator, industrial designer, and commercial art instructor. His artwork at this time was largely Cubist and Expressionist. In 1954, he had his first son and then his second two years later. In 1957, he moved back to upstate New York and began teaching at the State University of New York at Oswego in 1958. He explored the Abstract Expressionism style that had exploded on the art scene over the previous two decades, hiding images of cartoon characters in his abstract works. He began teaching at Rutgers University in 1960.

During the 1960s his most-recognized style would appear – meticulous compositions, influenced by advertisements and comics, which documented while they parodied. This new work was both a commentary on American pop culture, and his reaction to the success of Abstract Expressionist paintings, such as those by Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. He resigned from Rutgers in 1964 to concentrate on his painting. By the mid 1960s, the nation recognized Lichtenstein as a Pop Art leader, along with Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist, and Claes Oldenburg. In 1965, he and Isabel divorced. In the mid 60s, Lichtenstein moved on from his illustrious imagery of the early 60s, and began his Modern Paintings and Brushstrokes series. Lichtenstein married Dorothy Herzak in 1968, with whom he would spend the rest of his life.

In the 1970s, Lichtenstein turned more to twentieth century masters such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Salvador Dali, and Fernand Léger for inspiration, and less to comics. In 1970, Lichtenstein purchased a house in Southampton, Long Island and spent the rest of the 1970s in relative privacy. In the 1980s, he was commissioned for several works, one being a 25-foot high sculpture for the Port Columbus International Airport and another a five-story tall mural for the Equitable Tower in New York. He completed other commissions in Miami Beach, Barcelona, Minneapolis, Columbus, and Singapore. He was committed to art until his death, spending up to ten hours a day in his studio. Lichtenstein died of pneumonia on September 29, 1997.

It appears that Lichtenstein produced around 4,500 pieces. The artist received numerous Honorary Doctorate degrees from various universities. He won awards all over the United States and in Italy, Spain, and Japan. After years of record-breaking sales, Lichtenstein’s Masterpiece broke his record again selling for $165 million in January 2017. Innumerable major museums and galleries have shown Lichtenstein’s work, which is treasured in public and private collections all over the world.

American Fine Art, Inc. is proud to feature the original works and limited editions of Roy Lichtenstein. Visit our 12,000 sq. ft. showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona or call today. Our website is offered only as a limited place to browse or refresh your memory and is not a reflection of our current inventory. To learn more about collecting, pricing, value, or any other art information, please contact one of our International Art Consultants. We look forward to giving you the one on one attention you deserve when building your fine art collection. We hope you find our website helpful and look forward to seeing you in Scottsdale soon.