Roy Lichtenstein

1923-1997 · American · Pop art

Auction record: $95.37M

Nurse, 1964 · Christie's, New York · Nov 9, 2015

Biography

Roy Lichtenstein, born in New York, taught art in Ohio and upstate New York before his 1961 breakthrough, Look Mickey, which copied a cartoon panel with Ben-Day dots, flat colours and thick outlines. His romance and war comic paintings of 1961 to 1965, such as Whaam! and Drowning Girl, became icons of Pop, using the language of mass printing to question originality and emotion in art. He later applied the same style to brushstrokes, mirrors, interiors, art history and Chinese landscapes. The market is broad and liquid, with about 1,000 lots in two years, from prints to masterpieces. Early 1960s girl and comic paintings are the trophies, led by Nurse at 95.4 million dollars.

Recent auction results

Anxious Girl (1964)Christie's, New York	$46.06M	May 18, 2026	heni.com

Market

Liquidity: High

Museums

Museum of Modern Art, New York
Tate Modern, Londra
Art Institute of Chicago
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

News

Oct 14, 2026: 8 Roy Lichtenstein Works that Explain Why the Pop Artist Is So Influential Artsy
Oct 8, 2026: Gap and Whitney Museum collaborate on Roy Lichtenstein collection. Artsy

Sources

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