Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), Hopeless

Print, limited edition of 150 pieces, on handmade paper.
Each print is individually numbered.
Dimensions: 35 x 50 cm (sheet)
Inscription in pencil, top left: 31/150; bottom right: facsimile “R. Lichtenstein (R)”.
Thick French paper, with a stamp on the reverse: Castelli Graphics, New York.
At the bottom, a dry stamp from the publisher: Styria Studio
Condition: very good

Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997)—American painter, printmaker, and sculptor.
In the 1930s, he frequented New York jazz clubs and sketched portraits of musicians. He was fascinated by Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis, and tried his hand at playing the saxophone. He studied painting in the 1940s at Ohio State University. He had his first solo exhibition in 1951 in New York. Initially, he painted in the style of Abstract Expressionism, which was then dominant in American art.
His shift to Pop Art occurred in the early 1960s. It was then that he began painting popular characters from Disney cartoons. His first Pop Art painting, *Look Mickey*, was created in 1961.
Soon, he drew inspiration from comic books, advertisements, and motifs from the paintings of other artists. He began exhibiting his first comic-style paintings at New York’s Castelli Gallery, which promoted Pop Art artists. In 1965, he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale. In the second half of the 1960s, he began creating the “Brushstrokes” series, which parodied expressive abstractionism. In the 1970s and 1980s, he painted the abstract “Mirrors” series. In 1979, he became a member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
In 1994, he designed large murals for the Times Square–42nd Street subway station in New York City (installed in 2002). In 1995, he was awarded the Kyoto Prize in the field of art and philosophy.
He died of complications from pneumonia in 1997 in New York City. Retrospective exhibitions were held at the Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.