The Art Institute of Chicago is set to feature the largest exhibition of pop artist Roy Lichtenstein's work to date. More than 160 of Lichtenstein's works, from the familiar to the completely unexpected, will be on view in the first of only two American venues for Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective. Bringing together never-before-seen drawings, paintings, and sculpture, this exhibition presents the deepest exploration of Lichtenstein's signature style and its myriad applications across one of the most prolific careers in 20th-century art.
Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective follows all periods of the artist's career, grouping together nearly all of his series with rarely seen preparatory studies. The exhibition begins with his early (1950s) and late (1990s) explorations of brushstrokes, perhaps no better introduction to his lifelong inquiry into technique and the paradox of the artist's hand in an age of commercial printing. From this introductory section, viewers then immerse themselves in the treatments of various domestic subjects such as spray cans, washing machines, and engagement rings that Lichtenstein was using to develop his signature style, most fully fleshed out in Look Mickey from 1961. During this same period, Lichtenstein was experimenting with his palette, rendering images in a stark graphic style in a series of black and white paintings produced in the early 1960s. "War and Romance" and the following "Explosions and Brushstrokes" feature some of Lichtenstein's most iconic works, including many of his cartoon panels and his broad, expansive depictions of explosions with titles such as Varoom! (1963).
Following its presentation at the Art Institute, from May 16 to September 3, Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective will travel to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (October 14-January 6, 2013); the Tate Modern, London (February 21-May 27, 2013); and the Centre Pompidou in Paris (July 3-November 4, 2013).
For more information, visit www.artinstituteofchicago.org. The Art Institute of Chicago is located at 111 S. Michigan Ave in Chicago.