Roy Lichtenstein exhibition coming to Edinburgh

Iconic Pop Art masterpieces will all feature in the Roy Lichtenstein exhibition. Picture: Contributed

The free exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (SNGMA) will feature a range of works by the ground-breaking American artist, including a series of his famous “comic book” women depicted in the nude in domestic settings and a steel interpretation of French Impressionist artist Claude Monet’s Water Lilies painting.

Lichtenstein (1923-1997), a contemporary of Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, was among the most influential artists of the post-war period and a pioneer of Pop Art, the movement which came to the fore in New York in the early 1960s and ushered in a new era.

Reflections on Girl (1990), which is being used to promote the exhibition, was based on a comic book strip, Falling in Love, published in March 1961, with Lichtenstein changing the woman’s hair from brown to blonde, and altering speech bubbles.

Lucy Askew, senior curator at the SNGMA, said the first presentation of newly assembled works consisted of 20 pieces, including 16 large-scale prints displayed over three rooms.

She predicted it would be a “big-hitter” which would attract a large number of visitors.

“This exhibition will be real centre of attraction for people who already know Lichtenstein’s In the Car, which is in our collection, and give them the chance to see a different side of his work.”

“There’s an immediacy to Lichtenstein’s work which gives it immense appeal.”

The Roy Lichtenstein Foundation has given the 16 prints on long-term loan to the Artist Rooms 2015 touring programme which takes art to venues across Britain.

Artist Rooms was established through the Anthony d’Offay Donation in 2008, with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund, and the Scottish and British governments, and was aimed at allowing some of the world’s greatest art works to be seen by a wider audience.

n Artist Rooms: Roy Lichtenstein, March 14 to January 10, 2016, at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One). Entrance is free.