“Drawing is the basis of my art. It is where my thinking takes place. It is a big part of my painting. The paintings are always the same, only larger. But they may not get at all better. I am not thinking it up while I am actually doing the painting. A certain spontaneity is lost. Drawing has more interesting traces…”  - Roy Lichtenstein

Throughout the 1960s, pop artists took the art world by storm, redefining the very essence of art. Roy Lichtenstein, along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and James Rosenquist, was a leading figure in this American pop art movement. Largely inspired by the comic strip, Lichtenstein incorporated loud, colorful images and words into his work, creating a wholly unique graphic style. Using parody and humor to convey thematic messages, Lichtenstein’s art is much more than mere cartoons. Simultaneously treasured for its messages and prized for its aesthetic appeal, Lichtenstein’s work is truly timeless and appealing to a wide range of viewers.
Before his ideas reached fruition on the canvas, however, Lichtenstein’s ideas were nothing more than rough figures on a page. Written in close collaboration with the Roy Lichtenstein Estate and Foundation, ROY LICHTENSTEIN: SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS presents an extraordinary selection of over 200 works on paper by the American artist. This monograph is a stunning anthology of drawings and sketches from the National Gallery of Washington, DC; the MoMA and the Whitney Museum, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago; and a myriad of  public and private European and American collections. ROY LICHTENSTEIN: SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS reveals to the reader the private and poetic aspect of Lichtenstein’s production, from the very “first works,” namely the original ideas that were to be the source of inspiration for his great, world-famous masterpieces.
The volume includes more than just drawings, however. The works on paper appear alongside some important paintings and sculptures, as well as a rich selection of photographs documenting the artist at work. Additionally, the monograph includes luminous essays by Danilo Eccher, Bernice Rose, Jack Cowart, Thomas Zacharias (“Lichtenstein Draws”), Andrea C. Theil, and Dorothy Lichtenstein, Roy’s second wife; a chronology by Clare Bell; and a list of exhibitions in Italy. This collection traces Lichtenstein’s most famous pieces to their origins: the sketches and drawings that eventually became paintings like the classics, “Whaam!” (1963) and “Drowning Girl” (1963). For the casual art enthusiast and the experienced eye alike, ROY LICHTENSTEIN: SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS provides a glimpse into the inner workings of an artistic great.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Danilo Eccher has been Director of GAM Galleria civica d’arte moderna e cnotemporanea of Turin since 2009.