"Interior With Chair," 1997 by Roy Lichtenstein

Interior With Chair, 1997; Screenprint in colors on Somerset Textured paper; Numbered LXI/XC, signed Roy Lichtenstein, and dated '97 lower right; Published by Noblet Serigraphie, Inc., New York; Catalog Raisonne: Corlett: 309; Size - Sheet 37 x 27"; Unframed.

To purchase this work or to visit the Art Gallery, CLICK HERE!

Roy Fox Lichtenstein (1923-1997) was an American Pop artist, who in the 1960's along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, and others, became a leading figure in the in the emerging new Pop art movement. He was first recognized for his utilization and reappropriation of a single pane from a comic strip, that both documented and parodied the resulting composition. He used bright primary colors (red, yellow, blue, and occasionally green) that were heavily outlined in black; and he borrowed techniques from the print industry in order to produce paintings. Instead of shades of color, Lichtenstein used either close diagonal black lines or the Benday dot, a method by which primary colors of dots are printed onto a white ground and then when viewed from a distance show a density of tone. Roy Lichtenstein's artwork is collected by all major world art museums and his most expensive painting "Masterpiece," sold in January 2017 for $165 million.

Leo Castelli (1907-1999) was an Italian-American art dealer whose New York Gallery showcased contemporary art for five decades. Among the art movements showed were Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Neo-Dada, Pop Art, Op Art, Color Field, Hard-edge painting, Lyrical Abstraction, Minimal Art , Conceptual Art, and Neo-expressionism. He gave Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, and Frank Stella their first one man shows. Castelli had in his stable the following historically significant artists: Larry Poons, Lee Bontecou, James Rosenquist, Andy Warhol, Robert Morris, Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, Cy Twombly, Ronald Davis, Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra, Bruce Nauman, and Joseph Kosuth.

"Interior With Chair," 1997 was one of nine prints that were commissioned by Leo Castelli's son Jean-Christophe to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Leo Castelli Gallery and as a ninetieth birthday present for his father. The artists chosen to participate all were strongly associated with the Castelli Gallery at some point in their career and included: Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Joseph Kosuth, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Serra, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Edward Ruscha, and Bruce Nauman. The edition size of the resulting portfolio of nine prints corresponded to Leo Castelli's birthday in 1997 when he turned 90 years old. The first two portfolios were presented to Leo Castelli, with the first being a birthday gift and the second being displayed in the Castelli Gallery. The vast majority of the other 88 sets were given by Jean-Christophe to major museums and institutions around the world; making individual prints from the portfolios extremely rare.

Close up of the edition number, signature, and date.

Lichtenstein's Interior Series was one of the artist's last major series of artworks and focused on modern interior living spaces. "Interior With Chair," is a large and extremely well executed work of art. It has as it's central focus a single empty chair, placed next to a small three drawer table, upon which sits a vase of greenery. Behind the chair is an open door and to the right a window with a view of a green landscape with a white cloud filled blue sky. The entire composition is executed in Lichtenstein's signature style of Benday dots and brightly colored graphic forms. A rare and exceptionally well composed work by Roy Lichtenstein, and a great addition to any art collection.

#EllsworthKelly #JasperJohns #JosephKosuth #RoyLichtenstein #RichardSerra #RobertRauschenberg #JamesRosenquist #EdwardRuscha #BruceNauman #LeoCastelli #untitledartgallery #InteriorWithChair #PopArt