Curated by Jacques Cowart of the Saint Louis Art Museum, this exhibition originated at the Saint Louis Art Museum in 1981 before traveling to venues across the United States as well as Cologne, Florence, Paris, Madrid, and, in Japan, the Ohara Museum of Art and Takanawa Museum.
The exhibition marked the first comprehensive presentation in Japan of Roy Lichtenstein’s work, featuring 101 works produced between 1970 and 1981. Lichtenstein had been one of the leading figures of Pop Art since the 1960s. His introduction to Japanese audiences was a natural continuation of the museum’s commitment to presenting contemporary American art, as seen in exhibitions such as the Jasper Johns Exhibition and the George Segal Exhibition. At the same time, the exhibition can also be understood in relation to the previous year’s César Exhibition. Just as Nouveau Réalisme engaged critically with consumer society and mass production, Pop Art likewise redefined the relationship between art and everyday life through its engagement with the imagery and material culture of contemporary consumer society.
Still Life with Red Wine (1972), exhibited in this exhibition, is now in the collection of the Sezon Museum of Modern Art.