A New York City native, Roy Lichtenstein began his art studies in 1939 at the Art Student's
League under urban scene painter Reginald Marsh. The artist continued his studies at Ohio
State University where he was introduced to European Modernism and the works of Picasso,
Klee and Kandinsky. His studies were interrupted by military service, but, after the war,
Lichtenstein returned to Ohio State and completed a Masters in Fine Art degree in 1949.
As a central figure in the Pop Art movement of the 1960s, Lichtenstein sought an
anonymous style, removing all personal reference from his work to convey the appearance of
mass production. Borrowed imagery from the pages of magazine advertisements and
newspaper comic strips became the focus of his compositions. In discussing his work,
Lichtenstein once said: "All my art is in some way about other art, even if the other art is
cartoons."
Working with stencils, Lichtenstein developed a technique using rows of dots that
mimicked the commercial printing patterns used in the production of comic books. This
resemblance was further emphasized by Lichtenstein's selection of a palette of bright primary
colors that replicated the chromatic range of comic books. In addition, the artist has produced
several large scale sculptures commissioned for public places, most notably "Mermaid" in
Miami Beach. Lichtenstein's unconventional paintings, regarded by many as beyond the
bounds of fine art during the 1960s, are now considered icons of the Pop Art movement and
have secured the artist's place in art history.
Lichtenstein has had retrospectives at the Tate Gallery in London, the Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
BIRTHPLACE: New York, NY
EDUCATION: Art Student's League, New York, NY
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
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