James Rosenquist

American, 1933–2017

24k followers

James Rosenquist

Bio

American, 1933–2017

Followers
24k
Biography

Leading Pop artist James Rosenquist—who came to prominence among New York School figures like Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Willem de Kooning—is well known for his large-scale, fragmented works that bring the visual language of commercial painting onto canvas (notably, from 1957-60, Rosenquist earned his living as a billboard painter). In his use of mass-produced goods and vernacular culture rendered in an anonymous style, Rosenquist's work recalls that of Andy Warhol, while his seemingly irrational, mysterious pictorial combinations owe a debt to Surrealism. His breakthrough work, the iconic F-111 (1965)—51 panels that total over 22 by 24 feet—juxtaposes an American fighter plane with a Firestone tire, garish orange tinned spaghetti, and a young girl under a hair dryer.

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Career Highlights
Learn more about artist insights.
Blue chip status
Blue chip representation
Represented by internationally reputable galleries.
Auction
High auction record
$3m, Sotheby's, 2014
User
Solo show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 5 more
Group
Group show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 8 more
Institution
Collected by a major institution
Tate, and 1 more
Publication
Reviewed by a major art publication
Artforum, and 2 more
Fair
Included in a major biennial
Venice Biennale International Exhibition, and 1 more
Biography

Leading Pop artist James Rosenquist—who came to prominence among New York School figures like Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Willem de Kooning—is well known for his large-scale, fragmented works that bring the visual language of commercial painting onto canvas (notably, from 1957-60, Rosenquist earned his living as a billboard painter). In his use of mass-produced goods and vernacular culture rendered in an anonymous style, Rosenquist's work recalls that of Andy Warhol, while his seemingly irrational, mysterious pictorial combinations owe a debt to Surrealism. His breakthrough work, the iconic F-111 (1965)—51 panels that total over 22 by 24 feet—juxtaposes an American fighter plane with a Firestone tire, garish orange tinned spaghetti, and a young girl under a hair dryer.

Career Highlights
Learn more about artist insights.
Blue chip status
Blue chip representation
Represented by internationally reputable galleries.
Auction
High auction record
$3m, Sotheby's, 2014
User
Solo show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 5 more
Group
Group show at a major institution
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and 8 more
Institution
Collected by a major institution
Tate, and 1 more
Publication
Reviewed by a major art publication
Artforum, and 2 more
Fair
Included in a major biennial
Venice Biennale International Exhibition, and 1 more
Shows Featuring James Rosenquist
Articles Featuring James Rosenquist
James Rosenquist’s Day Job Painting Billboards Led to His Greatest Work
Nov 16th, 2018
James Rosenquist’s Day Job Painting Billboards Led to His Greatest Work
The Little-Known Manhattan Neighborhood Where Agnes Martin and Robert Indiana Made Art
Nov 22nd, 2016
The Little-Known Manhattan Neighborhood Where Agnes Martin and Robert Indiana Made Art
Sparks Fly in a Monumental Painting at Art Basel in Miami Beach
Nov 25th, 2014
Sparks Fly in a Monumental Painting at Art Basel in Miami Beach
Artists for Freedom: James Rosenquist, Peter Halley, and Leon Golub among Artists that Tackled ’90s American Politics
Oct 27th, 2014
Artists for Freedom: James Rosenquist, Peter Halley, and Leon Golub among Artists that Tackled ’90s American Politics
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