Roy Fox Lichtenstein (October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was an American pop artist. In the 1960s, he became a leading figure in Art Nouveau along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and James Rosenquist, among others. His work defines the premise of Pop Art through imitation. Inspired by comic strips, Lichtenstein produces precise pieces that are recorded while they imitate, often in a half-joking way. His work is influenced by popular advertising and comic book styles. His work is considered "destructive". He described Pop Art as "not 'American' painting, but industrial painting". His paintings are exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City.
Wow! The Drowning Woman is generally considered Lichtenstein's most famous work. "Drowning Girl", "Whaam!" and "Look Mickey" are considered his most influential works. His most expensive work sold for $165 million in January 2017.
Among five thousand paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, frescoes and other objects, Lichtenstein systematically studied and experimented with many artistic concerns, philosophies and genres. He was particularly interested in how painting represented the world, and how various artistic movements, such as Impressionism, Cubism, and Expressionism, made different claims about what this representation could achieve. Lichtenstein reproduced, exaggerated, punned, parodied, satirized, and, most importantly, tested these theories and methods in a series of works that have become the basis for understanding postwar American art.
