Lot 46
Roy Lichtenstein(American, 1923-1997)Still Life, Grapefruit and Grapes, 1972
13 November 2019, 17:00 EST
New YorkSold for US$15,075 inc. premium
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Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923-1997)
Still Life, Grapefruit and Grapes, 1972
signed 'Roy Lichtenstein' (lower right)
graphite pencil on paper
3 15/16 x 5 15/16 in.
10 x 15.1 cm.
This work was executed circa 1972.
signed 'Roy Lichtenstein' (lower right)
graphite pencil on paper
3 15/16 x 5 15/16 in.
10 x 15.1 cm.
This work was executed circa 1972.
Footnotes
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Roy Lichtenstein Authentication Committee, New York, and is registered under the identification number RLF 4948.
Provenance
Private Collection, New York
Sale: Phillips de Pury & Co., Contemporary Art Part II, 13 May 2011, Lot 175
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Roy Lichtenstein is considered to be one of the masters of the second half of Twentieth Century art. Together with Andy Warhol, he is viewed as the father of Pop Art, a movement that revolutionized the art world by elevating everyday objects and consumer imagery to high art, blurring the traditional boundaries between fine art and commercial culture.
Lichtenstein exploded onto the New York art scene in the early 1960s with his comic-like images of cartoon characters and everyday objects. A keen and avid draftsman, drawing was a key part of Lichtenstein's practice. Still Life, Grapefruit and Grapes (1972) provides a highly personal insight into the artist's creative process. Lichtenstein's hand is clearly visible, an element that is normally lacking in his paintings. Charming, direct, and minimal, the composition is a delightful glimpse into his studio practice.
With its bold composition and fine line, the present work is part of the significant series of still life studies that Lichtenstein created between 1972 and 1974. It has been noted that 'Roy Lichtenstein's still lifes of the 1970s and early 1980s represent not only a new direction in the work of this Pop master and many of his colleagues at this time, but also an inventive transformation of the genre by a whole generation of artists' (J. Wilmerding in 'Roy Lichtenstein's Still Lifes: Conversations with Art History', in Roy Lichtenstein: Still Lifes, Gagosian Gallery, New York 2010, p. 9). By incorporating the historical nature morte composition, rendered in the artist's instantly recognizable Pop manner, the present work is a superb example of Lichtenstein's dialogue with art history as a way to break new ground in contemporary art.
