Roy Lichtenstein’s Private Works Head to Auction: Pop Art History on the Block
Forty works by Roy Lichtenstein are heading to auction next month, expected to fetch more than £26 million.
The sale, announced by Sotheby’s, includes paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures spanning four decades of the iconic pop artist’s career—from his early comic-inspired canvases to later works exploring art history and media distortion.
This is the first time these works—many from Lichtenstein’s private studio—have been offered to the public.
Among the highlights:
- Reflections: Art (1988) – A self-referencing piece that distorts his own earlier works.
- Woman: Sunlight, Moonlight (1996) – A stylized sculpture of a female figure.
- A 1968 drawing of a smoking gun made for Time magazine at the height of U.S. political unrest.
The auction is expected to generate intense global interest, not only for its artistic significance but for the rare glimpse into the personal archive of a major 20th-century figure.
“These works offer a front-row seat to Lichtenstein’s genius,” said David Galperin, head of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s New York. “It’s a full survey of his dialogue with modern culture.”
Legacy Under the Hammer
The sale also reopens old debates.
Lichtenstein built a career by reworking mass-media imagery—comic books, advertisements, stock photos. While he became one of the most celebrated artists of his time, he was also accused of failing to credit the original illustrators whose work he adapted.
An infamous 1964 Life magazine cover once asked:
“Is he the worst artist in the U.S.?”
Now, he’s one of the most profitable.
His estate has carefully managed his legacy since his death in 1997. His wife, Dorothy Herzka, a former gallery director, became the president of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and passed away last year. The timing of the auction—coinciding with renewed interest in pop art—is no accident.
Art, Price, and Power
What does it mean when work born from satire enters the luxury market? Who gains from the mythology of pop? And who’s left out of the profits?
As always, the art market moves faster than the public conversation about value, ownership, and influence.
The sale opens at Sotheby’s New York this May.
We’ll be watching.
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