ROY LICHTENSTEIN Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 1967

Roy Fox Lichtenstein was a twentieth century American pop artist, best known for paintings inspired by comic books and advertisements. His best known painting, "Whaam!" (1963), could have illustrated a science fiction adventure story; it inspired other art and craft works, including a hand knit designer sweater from 1987 that is still selling yarns and pattern books today. Roy Lichtenstein's early work was described in terms of Cubism, Expressionism, and Abstract Expressionism, until his young son challenged him to "paint as good" as the pictures in a Mickey Mouse comic book. His 1961 painting, "Look Mickey," was admired by adults as well as children. Between 1961 and 1965 Roy Lichtenstein became famous for hand painting large pictures with the hard edges, flat bright colors, and shading created by mixing in dots of deeper color, like the images in comic books. "Drowning Girl," an oil and acrylic painting currently displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, drew on the story line of a comic book ("I'd rather sink...than call Brad for help!"). Other paintings from this period also reproduced comic book motifs and have been accused of plagiarism. After 1966, Lichtenstein moved on to a "Modern Art" series in which he redrew other artists' paintings in comic book style, then ventured into collage, film, pencil drawings, sculptures, and prints. Though called "the worst artist in America" in 1964, he attracted commissions for "serious" work in his distinctive sharp-edged style, and painted realistic ad-quality images of cars and other commercial goods, even business logos, as well as public art work (including the mural at the Times Square subway station). Although Roy Lichtenstein was one of a kind, he can be classified along with Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns as part of the Pop Art movement. His paintings have sold for as much as US$56 million. Less

Roy Fox Lichtenstein was a twentieth century American pop artist, best known for paintings inspired by comic books and advertisements. His best known painting, "Whaam!" (1963), could have illustrated a science fiction adventure story; it inspired oth More