Warhol x Lichtenstein: The Faces of Pop — Portraits Plus brings together a compelling assembly of portraiture by two of the most influential figures of the Pop Art movement — Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. This viewing room juxtaposes Warhol’s iconic silkscreen visions of celebrity and symbolic imagery with Lichtenstein’s distinctive graphic explorations of form and figure, offering a nuanced encounter with the way both artists transformed the face into a site of cultural meaning.
Warhol’s portraits, with their bold, repetitive silkscreen technique and vivid palette, reflect his fascination with fame, media saturation, and the commodification of identity. By elevating imagery drawn from publicity photos and art history alike — from Marilyn Monroe to reinterpretations of Renaissance masterpieces — Warhol probes how personas are constructed, consumed, and remembered.
Complementing this, Lichtenstein’s works in the selection demonstrate his mastery of graphic reduction and comic-inspired aesthetics. His nuanced approach to the human form — whether rendered with his signature Ben-Day dots or through more subdued line and colour — reframes the face with both irony and emotional depth, bridging popular visual culture and fine art.
Together, these works not only chart distinct yet interconnected pathways within Pop Art but also invite reflection on how the portrait — through repetition, appropriation, and stylistic reinvention — became a central vehicle for questioning the very nature of representation in the modern age.
