Roy Lichtenstein

Born in New York City in 1923, Roy Lichtenstein received his art-school training in New York City under Reginald Marsh, as well as at the Ohio State University in Columbus. After military service in Europe in World War II, Lichtenstein had his first one-man exhibition at the 1030 Gallery in Cleveland, where he lived from 1951 to 1957. In 1961 he began to appropriate not only the subject matter but also the style of popular comic books. It was during this early usage of the comic book aesthetic that Lichtenstein created the "Girls." Other series incorporated war themes (such as Whaam!, 1963; London, The Tate Gallery) and romantic love (such as We Rose Up Slowly, 1964; Frankfurt, Museum für Moderne Kunst). During the mid 1960s, Lichtenstein emerged as the emblematic artist of the Pop Art movement and received critical acclaim for his exhibitions at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York. Many of his later works translated iconic paintings, including works by Cézanne, Picasso, and Mondrian, into his signature style. Throughout most of his career, Lichtenstein also created prints, sculpture, and ceramics, as well as public commissions (such as Brushstrokes in Flight, 1984; Columbus, Ohio, Port Columbus International Airport; and the five-story Mural with Blue Brushstrokes, 1986; New York Equitable Center). At the time of his death in 1997, Lichtenstein was one of the most popular American artists.