Earlier this month, the Albertina Museum in Vienna opened its doors to their latest exhibition, a solo presentation of Roy Lichtenstein to mark his centenary. The Albertina show is just one of a recent wave of exhibitions and presentations on Lichtenstein’s work, which in turn is sparking newfound interest in his market. This excitement will culminate in 2026, when the Whitney Museum in New York is due to open their much-anticipated Lichtenstein retrospective.
Given all the excitement and buzz surrounding Lichtenstein, we thought it would be worth taking a deep dive into his body of work and his market. Lichtenstein was a prolific creator, constantly changing his approach, both thematically and stylistically, until the end of his life. We will break down the four major series that defined his career.
Lichtenstein’s Girls
While technically they fall under the larger group of Lichtenstein’s early comic book series, the sub-group of his female portraits from the ‘60s have become arguably Lichtenstein’s most recognisable and most desirable works. Like his other comic book works, Lichtenstein pulled images of women directly from newspaper clippings and romantic comic books. He scrutinised his female subjects, editing and re-presenting their image, which was often depicted in these comics as crying or in states of distress, on an enlarged scale. Many of his ‘60s female portraits now reside in museums, viewed as some of Lichtenstein’s most important contributions to contemporary art. On the rare occasion that one does come to market, they have historically always set new record prices for the artist.The most recent being in 2015, when his painting ‘Nurse’ (1964) fetched $95 million at Christie’s.
Cubism
The genre of Cubism was something Lichtenstein constantly explored, experimented and toyed with throughout his career. In the ‘60s, he first experimented with Cubism, creating a series of paintings that were direct homages of Picasso works. In the mid ‘70s, he began combining the Cubist aesthetic with the subject of still life. In the late ‘70s, he merged landscapes, portraits and even sculpture with Cubism. They serve as further evidence of how prolific Lichtenstein was in terms of referencing art history and historical movements, and transforming them through his Pop lens. His Cubism works have also proven to be particularly desirable with collectors, particularly his first early explorations with Cubism from the ‘60s. His homage to Picasso, ‘Woman with Flowered Hat’ from 1963, sold for $56 million in 2013.
Landscapes
Landscapes were a recurring subject and constant fascination for Lichtenstein. They first appeared at the beginning of his career, in the mid ‘60s, and then reappeared right at the end of his career, in the ‘90s. His ‘60s landscapes saw him transform images of sunsets and seascapes into his signature Pop style – a bold reinvention of one of the most traditional subjects in art history. However, when Lichtenstein re-approached the subject of the landscape in the ‘90s, he embarked on what is known as his ‘Chinese landscapes’ series, which saw him use bold lines, Ben-Day dots, and vibrant colours to create contemporary interpretations of classical Chinese landscapes. By incorporating elements of abstraction and stylisation, Lichtenstein merged traditional Chinese aesthetics with his own artistic language, resulting in visually striking compositions that paid homage to the past while reflecting the zeitgeist of the present.
Brushstrokes
Lichtenstein's ‘Brushstroke paintings’, created between the mid-late 1960s and early 1980s, feature oversized, stylised depictions of brushstrokes rendered in his signature comic book-inspired style. These paintings play with the idea of illusion and reality. While the brushstrokes appear to be spontaneous and gestural, they are meticulously planned and executed, revealing Lichtenstein's acute attention to detail. The Brushstroke paintings are often interpreted as a commentary on the commodification of art and the role of the artist in contemporary society. By elevating the brushstroke, a fundamental element of painting, to the status of the subject itself, Lichtenstein challenges traditional notions of artistic originality and authenticity.
