Pop goes Tom Wesselmann’s print show
This year, art-wise, has been a decidedly Poppy one.
From the Tate Modern’s whizz-pow-bam Lichtenstein retrospective to the Barbican’s newly opened Pop Art Design show, the style has become even more visible – if, indeed, that was possible.
Now, London’s Alan Cristea Gallery is to show a series of prints by Tom Wesselmann, an artist the gallery claims has often been credited with having a profound impact upon the development of American Pop Art.
The show will present works dealing with the art world canonical themes of nudes, still life and landscape; depicted in Wesselmann’s typical bold, flat primary colours.
The artist was known for his use of typically American symbols of US culture and patriotism, merging these sensibilities with those of more Classical European art, as shown in works such as Monica Sitting with Mondrian.
This playful, provocative concoction of styles and influences is characteristic of the prints on show, which in prime Pop parlance frequently take cues from advertising, magazine pin-ups and household products.
The Alan Cristea Gallery show will mainly focus on works from the last 20 years of Wesselmann’s 40 year career, with prints using techniques including etching, aquatint and screenprinting.
A number of pieces from the 1960s Great American Nude series, in which the artist looked to emulate the idea of the Great American Novel (Steinbeck, Mailer and Hemingway et al) will also be on show.
Tom Wesselmann Still Life, Nude, Landscape: The Late Prints is at Alan Cristea Gallery, 31 Cork St, London W1S from 14 November 21 December, www.alancristea.com
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