Roy Lichtenstein
Modern Head #1, 1970
Woodcut on Hoshi paper
Roy Lichtenstein is a terrific prospect for our collectors. Few artists are so iconic and in terms of quality his graphic work is incredibly consistent. Most artists have off-days, with some images being more sought-after than others. With Lichtenstein there are few bad options.
The Modern Head series is an important turning point in his work. Having secured his reputation in the 60’s by appropriating existing imagery, in 1970 he began to explore art historical genres, an approach that would serve him well for many decades.
Through this series of five prints he dismantled the history of modern art, playing with elements of Cubism, Constructivism and Art Deco. The series is one of very few in which he combined various styles rather than referencing a single artist or trend.
Each of the five prints was made using a distinct commercial printing method, in this case colour woodcut. This print is important because it was the first woodcut that he produced with a publisher, and the only print he made using this technique between 1959 and 1980.
Featuring a top-hatted figure of the sort that the Parisian cubists would have painted at the turn of the century, Lichtenstein has modernised it with his classic benday dots and primary colour palette. He said that the aim was “to make a man look like a machine. It's the machine quality of the twenties and thirties that interests me. The Art Moderne idea of making a head into something that looks as if it's been made by an engineering draftsman deals with industrialization and manufacture...”
For collectors, this work features some of Lichtenstein’s most recognisable techniques and catches him at a major moment in his career. Any buyer will find themselves in good company – the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. has a copy of this print too!
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