Roy Lichtenstein
BICENTENNIAL POSTER (AMERICAN: THE THIRD CENTURY), 1975
Screenprint in yellow, red, green, olive, gray, blue,
and black, on smooth white wove paper
Sheet: 34 15/16 x 23 5/8 inches
Image: 30 ½ x 22 1/16 inches
35 x 23 5/8 in
88.7 x 60 cm
79/200
Available at Surovek Gallery
What can you paint that isn’t ridiculous from the outset?
–Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein’s Peanut Butter Cup, 1962, sold for £1,019,000 ($2,085,000) at Sotheby’s, London Modern and Contemporary auction on March 4th. The work belonged to Australian art collector John Kaldor, who is known for donating many artworks to public institutions.
The work is one of Lichtenstein's earliest Pop Art pieces, featuring the bold lines and Ben-Day Dots that came to define his work.
Lichtenstein had been teaching at Rutgers when he was given his first solo show at the Leo Castelli Gallery in 1962. Castelli represented Lichtenstein until Lichtenstein’s death in 1997. They became friends and never entered into a formal contract.
The Lichtenstein Foundation, which was established in 1998, and headed by Dorothy Lichtenstein until her death, in 2024, has been divesting itself of its assets and has completed a catalogue raisonné of the artist’s works that is available, at no cost, to the public.
Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) was one of America’s most important artists, whose works had a profound influence on the way art and culture are perceived. The Whitney is planning a centennial exhibit of his work in the Fall of 2026. The British Museum is planning to have an exhibit, in 2027, of the prints and drawings that were donated by the Lichtenstein Foundation.
Last summer the Albertina Museum in Vienna celebrated what would have been Lichtenstein’s 100th birthday by exhibiting more than 100 works that the Lichtenstein Foundation donated to the museum, alongside works loaned to the museum from major venues and private collectors around the world.
Lichtenstein not only painted, he also created sculptures and began making prints in 1948. He created screenprints and etchings, mainly in collaboration with the Gemini G.E.L., Tyler Graphics Ltd.
Lichtenstein’s Bicentennial Poster, 1975 and Modern Print, 1971 are available at Surovek Gallery.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the works of Roy Lichtenstein or any of the many fine artists whose works are available at Surovek Gallery.
References:
Elizabeth Fortescue. Roy Lichtenstein delivers $2m payday for John Kaldor. Financial Review. March 5, 2025.
Steven Pollock. Roy Lichtenstein: From The Ridiculous To The Sublime. The Brooklyn Rail. April 2024.
Jack Cowart. Don’t Try This At Home (or Alone). The Brooklyn Rail. December/January.
