Seeking unique memorabilia and valuable metals since 1996, Treasure Hunters Roadshow (THR), one of the premier dealers of gold, silver, militaria, guitars and fine arts in the entire world, has trekked all across North America and even Europe. Among this crew, however, is a focused group of art gurus who travel alongside their THR counterparts to nearly 100 shows a week in an effort to track down the lost and forgotten works of America’s best artists.
Even though the classic landscape artists such as Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt are often the most commonly sought after items by fine art collectors in the United States, there is also an increasing demand for the works from the “pop art” movement by major innovators such as Roy Lichtenstein.
These pieces are meticulously examined by the specialists, and if they deem them to be of value and genuine, they will make an offer to buy them on the spot. With the Treasure Hunters Roadshow Tv show gearing up for yet another season, these art fans are eager to see what other fantastic paintings they will be able to uncover this time around.
While the height of Roy Lichtenstein’s work came in the 1960s, Treasure Hunters Roadshow authorities have noticed that collectors these days continue scooping up his authentic prints and are inclined to shell out major bucks to complete their collections. Lichtenstein grew to become well-known for his works that were inspired by graphic novels and advertisements, revealing a whimsical humor and pop culture satire that appeared to define the pop art movement.
Roy Lichtenstein grew up in New York City in an upper-middle class family but was not a student of the arts. Alternatively, he toyed with design and style and painting as a hobby. Oftentimes, Lichtenstein could be located drawing pictures of the artists performing music at the Apollo Theatre. His higher education at Ohio State University was interrupted by a stint in WWII, but Lichtenstein eventually returned to complete his Master’s of Fine Arts degree.
It was at this time that he started experimenting with expressionism and cubism and would later be a part of the abstract expressionism school, despite the fact that he did so much later than other artists. Following a dare from his son, who stated, “Hey, dad, bet you can’t paint as good as this,” and displayed a Mickey Mouse comic book, Lichtenstein finished his first work entitled “Look Mickey” in 1961. His work was displayed for the first time at the Castelli gallery in 1962, where each and every piece was bought by investors before the display even opened.
Numerous art reviewers, nonetheless, began to criticize Lichtenstein’s inventiveness due to his use of topics from other kinds of pop culture. He was most recognized for his artwork of well-known comic book panels, but by 1965 had moved on to other subject matter. Graphic novelist, Art Spiegelman, became annoyed with Lichtenstein declaring, “Lichtenstein did no more or less comics than Andy Warhol did for soup.”
Responding to his critics, in the late 1970s Lichtenstein began to use a more bizarre style in his artwork with plastic and metal sculptures and several hundred screen-printed pieces. In 1996, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. came to own the largest assortment of Roy Lichtenstein pieces, although it is believed that a significant quantity of his work continues to be in personal collections.
Have some pop art lying around the household but not positive if it is of value? Go to the Treasure Hunters Roadshow activities website to find out when the fine arts specialists will be in your region to assess and quite possibly buy your collection. A piece of paper that appears like a comic book in your attic just may well be a Roy Lichtenstein original well worth thousands of dollars!
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