Roy Lichtenstein // Nude at Vanity // 2000 Offset Lithograph

"Nude at Vanity" by Roy Lichtenstein, Offset Lithograph printed in 2000. Open edition reproduction of Nude at the Vanity by Roy Lichtenstein, published for an exhibition of his work in Rome in the year 2000.

Roy Fox Lichtenstein (1923 – 1997) was an American pop artist. During the 1960s, along with Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, among others, he became a leading figure in the new art movement. He was heavily inspired by the comic strip as a visual medium, in particular the presence of the "Ben-Day" dots that are a result of the color and tone distillation of inexpensive printing. He described pop art as "not 'American' painting but actually industrial painting". Lichtenstein had his first one-man show in New York in 1962; the entire collection was bought by influential collectors before the show even opened. When first exhibited, many art critics challenged its originality. His work was harshly criticized as vulgar and empty. The title of a Life magazine article in 1964 asked, “Is He the Worst Artist in the U.S.?” Lichtenstein responded to these claims by offering responses such as: "The closer my work is to the original, the more threatening and critical the content. However, my work is entirely transformed in that my purpose and perception are entirely different. I think my paintings are critically transformed, but it would be difficult to prove it by any rational line of argument."