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Lichtenstein: 1923-1997
A leader in the American art world by 1962, Lichtenstein spearheaded Pop Art's celebration of banal & common objects depicted in a whole new way. This survey discusses his comic-strip themes, Benday-dot technique, & more. Chronology. 9" x 11 3/4". Color plates & b&w illus.
96 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1990
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November 25, 2025
Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) was an American pop painter known for his comic-inspired paintings, executed on enormous canvases, in which text is integrated into the composition.
Roy Lichtenstein was born in New York, United States, on October 27, 1923. As a teenager, he frequented several Jazz clubs, which led him to paint portraits of musicians playing their instruments.
In 1939, he attended the Art Students League. The following year, he entered the School of Fine Arts at Ohio State University in Columbus.
In 1943, Roy was recruited into the army. After the war, he took up residence in France, where he studied French Language and Civilization at the Cité Universitaire.
Back in Ohio, he completed his university studies and was hired as an art instructor in Cleveland.
He begins to create abstract paintings based on landscapes and still life. Later, he worked as a decorator and a graphic designer. He takes up the post of an art teacher.
After participating in several group exhibitions in 1951, he made his first solo exhibition at the Carlebach Gallery in New York. Little by little, he integrates the titles of his paintings into the painting itself.
In 1956, he created a humorous lithograph of a ten-dollar bill (The Dollar Bill), his first Pop work.
In 1961, he began painting in the Pop Art style. Imitating the cartoon, he used the comic strip and its text, giving voice to his characters.
One of my favourite themes was war scenes. Lichtenstein explored blue, red, and yellow, or just one or two colours, to imitate the impression better.
That same year, he presented his work at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York, with which he signed a contract.
Little by little, Roy Lichtenstein gains celebrity, receives orders, and exhibits in different places.
During this period, he created several thematic series: pin-ups, women who scream or cry, war scenes, desolate landscapes, the golf ball, ancient architecture, and explosions.
It is from that time: "Look Mickey" (1961), "Golf Ball" (1962), "Crak!" (1963), "Crying Girl" (1964), "Oh Jeff ..." (1964), "The Melody Haunts My Reverie" (1965), among others.
Lichtenstein had his works exhibited at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1966 and at the Pasadena Art Museum in 1967, and afterwards in several countries.
In 1970, Lichtenstein opened a studio in Southampton, New Jersey, where he dedicated himself to creating incredible murals, among them the University of Medicine mural in Düsseldorf, Germany.
He now receives orders from around the world. In 1979, he was elected a member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
In 1993, Roy Lichtenstein presented a large retrospective exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, later touring Los Angeles, Montreal, Munich, Hamburg, Brussels, and Columbus, concluding in 1996.
Roy Lichtenstein passed away in New York, United States, on September 29, 1997.
Source: https://www.ebiografia.com/roy_lichte...
Roy Lichtenstein was born in New York, United States, on October 27, 1923. As a teenager, he frequented several Jazz clubs, which led him to paint portraits of musicians playing their instruments.
In 1939, he attended the Art Students League. The following year, he entered the School of Fine Arts at Ohio State University in Columbus.
In 1943, Roy was recruited into the army. After the war, he took up residence in France, where he studied French Language and Civilization at the Cité Universitaire.
Back in Ohio, he completed his university studies and was hired as an art instructor in Cleveland.
He begins to create abstract paintings based on landscapes and still life. Later, he worked as a decorator and a graphic designer. He takes up the post of an art teacher.
After participating in several group exhibitions in 1951, he made his first solo exhibition at the Carlebach Gallery in New York. Little by little, he integrates the titles of his paintings into the painting itself.
In 1956, he created a humorous lithograph of a ten-dollar bill (The Dollar Bill), his first Pop work.
In 1961, he began painting in the Pop Art style. Imitating the cartoon, he used the comic strip and its text, giving voice to his characters.
One of my favourite themes was war scenes. Lichtenstein explored blue, red, and yellow, or just one or two colours, to imitate the impression better.
That same year, he presented his work at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York, with which he signed a contract.
Little by little, Roy Lichtenstein gains celebrity, receives orders, and exhibits in different places.
During this period, he created several thematic series: pin-ups, women who scream or cry, war scenes, desolate landscapes, the golf ball, ancient architecture, and explosions.
It is from that time: "Look Mickey" (1961), "Golf Ball" (1962), "Crak!" (1963), "Crying Girl" (1964), "Oh Jeff ..." (1964), "The Melody Haunts My Reverie" (1965), among others.
Lichtenstein had his works exhibited at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1966 and at the Pasadena Art Museum in 1967, and afterwards in several countries.
In 1970, Lichtenstein opened a studio in Southampton, New Jersey, where he dedicated himself to creating incredible murals, among them the University of Medicine mural in Düsseldorf, Germany.
He now receives orders from around the world. In 1979, he was elected a member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
In 1993, Roy Lichtenstein presented a large retrospective exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, later touring Los Angeles, Montreal, Munich, Hamburg, Brussels, and Columbus, concluding in 1996.
Roy Lichtenstein passed away in New York, United States, on September 29, 1997.
Source: https://www.ebiografia.com/roy_lichte...
September 10, 2019
This is an interesting, accessible introduction to Lichtenstein and his work. It doesn't suffer from translation problems as some other Taschen books I've read have, nor does it suffer from the awful metaphysical nonsense that the entry in this series about Turner does. I was a little disappointed to find that Lichtenstein's sculptural work is not given more than a couple of paragraphs, since they were a revelation in the exhibition I saw at Tate Liverpool that inspired this purchase. On the other hand, I discovered that his paintings were more diverse than I had realised previously.
December 10, 2024
M'a fait aimer et comprendre Lichtenstein alors que je détestais
July 28, 2012
The American artist Roy Lichtenstein, 1923-1997, is considered one of the fathers of the Pop Art movement. From High to Low art and anti-art, Lichtenstein made began his impact on the art world as the Abstract Expressionists suddenly started to fall from favor.
This brief but rich book covers both biographic and art history related to Roy Lichtenstein. Venturing into the realm of the academic without becoming verbose it remains readable to most readers with some background in modern art, art history, or the like.
Six chapters or sections include; The Beginnings, The Pictures that Lichtenstein Made Famous or The Pictures that Made Lichtenstein Famous, A Closer Look at Benday Dots, Lichtenstein Looks at Art, Sidestepping Abstraction, Compilations, Syncopations, Discombobulations followed by and closing the book Roy Lichtenstein: A Chronology. Organized to be readable as well as informative and providing not a small amount of referential emphasis, the book in less than a 100 pages covers the artist as thoroughly as anything this compact. The book is rich with formal catalog style analysis/commentary of more than 85 illustrations blended in with the text and history of Lichtenstein. The chronology contains an additional 10 photographs of the author from various stages in his life.
With economic but effective description and analysis this author gives us a different Roy Lichtenstein than many other writers or critics have. R.L. was a commentator on art with his art like Picasso before him (who incidentally he sent up with his own 'Cubist' works) and not just a commercial artist who copied and resized the work of others. Author Hendrickson goes to the works of R.L. to show that critics and other writers miss that R.L. didn't just copy. His works alter and play on previous ones in subtle and very sophisticated ways. From color to perspective alteration, the stripped down works of R.L stand very clearly on their own. Even the extreme realism of Trompe-l'œil gets the Lichtenstein treatment. He, the artist, even beat Warhol to the game of painting the comics.
An entire section of this book A Closer Look at Benday Dots is a must read for students and connoisseurs of Lichtenstein. The history of the half tone technique that R.L. incorporated as a reference point in his works is fundamental to the complete understanding of Lichtenstein. Other Pop Artists, notably Warhol, were envious of this inclusion by R.L. and further envious with the seeming ease he used commercial printing techniques in his work. Author Hendrickson expands greatly on the general assumptions and corrects some fallacies that persist about this tool in the artists repertoire.
The weakest points of this work are its brevity and size. An artist whose work is large, larger, and gigantic is not well served by this physically small volume. While the work is rich, in places terse to the point of obscurity, another dozen pages could put this over the top. As it is, it remains a great starting point for any Pop art viewer.
This book ends with Lichtensteins place in modern art. His contradictions never may have been resolved, but what better endnote for a painter who turned a brush stroke in to art itself?
This brief but rich book covers both biographic and art history related to Roy Lichtenstein. Venturing into the realm of the academic without becoming verbose it remains readable to most readers with some background in modern art, art history, or the like.
Six chapters or sections include; The Beginnings, The Pictures that Lichtenstein Made Famous or The Pictures that Made Lichtenstein Famous, A Closer Look at Benday Dots, Lichtenstein Looks at Art, Sidestepping Abstraction, Compilations, Syncopations, Discombobulations followed by and closing the book Roy Lichtenstein: A Chronology. Organized to be readable as well as informative and providing not a small amount of referential emphasis, the book in less than a 100 pages covers the artist as thoroughly as anything this compact. The book is rich with formal catalog style analysis/commentary of more than 85 illustrations blended in with the text and history of Lichtenstein. The chronology contains an additional 10 photographs of the author from various stages in his life.
With economic but effective description and analysis this author gives us a different Roy Lichtenstein than many other writers or critics have. R.L. was a commentator on art with his art like Picasso before him (who incidentally he sent up with his own 'Cubist' works) and not just a commercial artist who copied and resized the work of others. Author Hendrickson goes to the works of R.L. to show that critics and other writers miss that R.L. didn't just copy. His works alter and play on previous ones in subtle and very sophisticated ways. From color to perspective alteration, the stripped down works of R.L stand very clearly on their own. Even the extreme realism of Trompe-l'œil gets the Lichtenstein treatment. He, the artist, even beat Warhol to the game of painting the comics.
An entire section of this book A Closer Look at Benday Dots is a must read for students and connoisseurs of Lichtenstein. The history of the half tone technique that R.L. incorporated as a reference point in his works is fundamental to the complete understanding of Lichtenstein. Other Pop Artists, notably Warhol, were envious of this inclusion by R.L. and further envious with the seeming ease he used commercial printing techniques in his work. Author Hendrickson expands greatly on the general assumptions and corrects some fallacies that persist about this tool in the artists repertoire.
The weakest points of this work are its brevity and size. An artist whose work is large, larger, and gigantic is not well served by this physically small volume. While the work is rich, in places terse to the point of obscurity, another dozen pages could put this over the top. As it is, it remains a great starting point for any Pop art viewer.
This book ends with Lichtensteins place in modern art. His contradictions never may have been resolved, but what better endnote for a painter who turned a brush stroke in to art itself?
March 23, 2012
When people think of Pop Art, they always tend to think of Andy Warhol and overlook the other amazing artists who were part of that movement such as Roy Lichenstein. This book packs a lot of information in less than 100 pages but none of it is overwhelming. It does not talk about Lichenstein's life but it talks about how his artwork became to be and the way he viewed art. For such a short and thin book, it held a lot of good information about the artist and the others that he was influenced by and worked alongside with. It is filled with high quality photos of Lichenstein's works and the design of the book is very asethically pleasing to the eye. A great book for some light reading.
June 13, 2020
Two things seemed lacking:
1. After making a link between his children and his cartoon subjects in the first few pages, the author never again returns to Lichtenstein's personal life to draw any or allow the reader to draw any parallels between developments in his art and family or home.
2. Only one sculpture is presented and only 2 talked about. This seems like it would have been another interesting topic to draw parallels and explorations of his 2D work.
Otherwise this is a good, straightforward interpretation and appreciation of his work.
1. After making a link between his children and his cartoon subjects in the first few pages, the author never again returns to Lichtenstein's personal life to draw any or allow the reader to draw any parallels between developments in his art and family or home.
2. Only one sculpture is presented and only 2 talked about. This seems like it would have been another interesting topic to draw parallels and explorations of his 2D work.
Otherwise this is a good, straightforward interpretation and appreciation of his work.
August 22, 2021
I thought the book was well written and I enjoyed the artworks. However, the artworks were just randomly placed throughout the book and I wish the author went into more detail about the various artworks.
February 20, 2019
“Maybe what is most important about Lichtenstein’s oeuvre is it’s irritating contradictions and understated humor.” (p. 93)
February 22, 2022
An interesting introduction to his works and a breakdown of his career from beginning to end. Thoroughly enjoyed this work.
November 21, 2024
Good intro to Lichtenstein, and nice to reference different pieces directly. Just could have been more dimensional.
December 25, 2025
Found this very thought provoking
August 29, 2017
I plucked this short retrospective from the bargain shelves years ago, not knowing very much at all about Roy Lichtenstein, other than an awareness that several of his works were done in the graphic style of 1950's romance comics. My cultural literacy ended there--I knew nothing about his other styles, or even what the point was behind the comic art. But, as I had been a collector of comics from this period, I was more-or-less drawn to Lichtenstein's work, even though now I realize that that connection is not a straight line; perhaps it may be analogous to the relationship between a man who enjoys playing a pick-up game of softball and one who bids tens of thousands of dollars at an auction for vintage baseball cards. Even though they might superficially seem to be dealing with the same subject, they are really separate worlds. That isn't to say that they cannot overlap, just that one does not necessarily lead to the other.
I've noticed that there are several books dealing with Lichtenstein's art--so much so that if I were choosing from what's available online, I'd be overwhelmed. Based on my familiarity with this Taschen book, and after reading through descriptions and reviews of the other available collections, it's apparent that many of these books are meant to fulfill different niches, and the right choice is going to depend on the reader's previous knowledge of Lichtenstein's works, and how one intends to use the book.
Those readers looking for a coffee-table book should stop right here--this is not that. Instead, it is the height of a typical modern hardcover and about one-and-a-half inches wider, with only 96 pages. Given those dimensions, it should be apparent that this book is meant to convey only the broad strokes concerning Lichtenstein's career, although I think the editors have done a nice job of maximizing the amount of artwork shown (including examples from all his styles and periods), with many reproductions in full or three/quarter page layouts. The physical quality of the book (construction, paper and printing quality, and the reproduced colors) are all in keeping with the sort of product that Taschen books are known for, which is to say very well done and worthwhile. On the strength of the artwork alone, readers unfamiliar or only slightly familiar with Lichtenstein's work will probably find this to be a good overview of his work; those who go on to decide that Lichtenstein is an artist they do not care for will have had more than enough examples to form their opinion, and I think even a good portion of those who do enjoy his art will find that here are all the examples of it they'll need.
The accompanying text by Janis Hendrickson seeks to inform readers of a few biographical details, an overview of Lichtenstein's progression as an artist, a chapter exclusively devoted to Ben-Day dots, and chapters concerning Lichtenstein's commentary on other artwork through the medium of his own paintings. Here, I think, the book is weaker, though given the format and length, I can't see how it could be stronger. All in all, Ms. Hendrickson probably strikes a pretty good balance of getting the most information into print, while at the same time getting out of the way and letting the artwork speak for itself.
Of the other retrospectives available, some seem more aimed at teachers and younger students (Whaam! The Art and Life of Roy Lichtenstein) or perhaps even more cursory than this one (Roy Lichtenstein (MoMA Artist Series)), which is about the size of a trade paperback). There is a coloring book (Roy Lichtenstein Coloring Book) if that's a hobby of yours, and several other retrospectives, that, depending on the size of your pocket book, may be of interest (Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective), and even a Catalogue raisonné if your pockets are really deep (The Prints of Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonne 1948-1997). This only scratches the surface, but for myself, now that I've read through this Taschen overview, I'd like to read something with a little more depth, and am most interested in the Guggenheim retrospective put out by Dianne Waldman (Roy Lichtenstein).
If you have little previous experience with Lichtenstein's art (as was with me), and are curious, I think this is a great vehicle to satisfy that curiosity. Even if, like me, you decide you'd like to have something more complete, or more in-depth, this Taschen book is inexpensive enough to keep me from feeling guilty if I decide to replace it someday with something larger. A great introduction.
September 24, 2016
"Color is crucial in painting, but it is very hard to talk about. There is almost nothing you can say that holds up as a generalization, because it depends on too many factors: size, modulation, the rest of the field, a certain consistency that color has with forms, and the statement you're trying to make." - Roy Lichtenstein.
A really interesting book. But, like a few others have mentioned, the layout was a bit irritating, as whenever a reference to a certain piece of artwork was made you had to go back- or forward- to find it.
A really interesting book. But, like a few others have mentioned, the layout was a bit irritating, as whenever a reference to a certain piece of artwork was made you had to go back- or forward- to find it.
December 5, 2012
Pretty good. Conveyed major ideas of the recent wonderful exhibit at the National Gallery in DC (ie how he developed his style, his focus on art and painting rather than making a "statement"), but as other reviewers have noted the art works in the book do not appear to be coordinated with the text.
August 27, 2012
So much valuable information on one of America's most ingenious artists. Well written and easy to understand. A great source of enjoyment as are Mr. Lichtenstein's paintings.
August 10, 2022
Really incredible art.. didn't realize it was in another language 🤦♀️
April 6, 2017
Okay, aber keines der besseren Bücher der Reihe. Es könnte auch eine Überarbeitung vertragen, da es seit Ersterscheinen Anfang der 1990er zwar einige Neuauflagen gab, jedoch immer noch auf die aktuelle Arbeitsweise des 1997 verstorbenen Lichtenstein verwiesen wird.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews