JAMES ROSENQUIST "For Artists", Tide, 1975

JAMES ROSENQUIST, American Pop Artist, b. 1933

FOR ARTISTS , 1975

This is an original 1975 serigraph of “For Artists, Tide (From Artists Rights Today Portfolio),” hand signed, numbered and inscribed by James Rosenquist. 

Measurements: 30 x 22 inches

A pioneer of the Pop art movement, James Rosenquist rearranges and overlaps images and symbols to create fragmented icons that compel the viewer to examine the familiar in a more abstract and provocative way.

James Rosenquist was destined for artist greatness at an early age. As a junior high student, Rosenquist was awarded a short-term scholarship to the Minneapolis School of Art. Later, after continuing his studies at the University of Minnesota as an undergrad, the artist joined the Art Students' League. It was here in New York City that Rosenquist became aquatinted with and influenced by artists such as Robert Indiana, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenburg. In the 1960s Rosenquist began to work in the collage style for which he became famous. During this period in his life, Rosenquist was making a living as a billboard painter. This experience seems to have have had a great influence on both the scale and subject matter of Rosenquist's subsequent work. Works from this period juxtaposed seeming unrelated images in order to make poignant statements. Building upon the work done by the pioneers of Pop Art, Rosenquist borrowed images from advertising to depict facets of popular culture and draw unexpected conclusions. In 1962, he painted his most famous work "F-111." At 26 meters wide, the painting is as ambitious in size as it is in message. With bold colors and graphic imagery this canvas examines the often-absurd nature of American life. It possesses ominous depictions of jet fighters (referenced in the title, fire and mushroom clouds intermixed with innocuous images such as a young girl under a hair dryer, a plate of spaghetti and a brightly colored umbrella. As a whole, it exists as a vision of American culture, expressing the bizarre proximity of both euphoria and catastrophe that can be present in a modern culture. The spatial organization of these diametrically opposed objects also alludes to the interrelationship of affluence and aggression. Rosenquist's subsequent work continues to focus on themes of importance in the American life such as science, technology and the AIDS epidemic. His artwork has been exhibited at many major galleries and museums throughout the world. Despite the artist's relative young age, his career has been honored with retrospectives at both the Whitney and Guggenheim Museums. In 1986, the "F-111" canvas sold at Sotheby's for $2.09 million and is currently valued at a price at least twice that amount. Limited edition printed versions of this piece have recently sold for as much as $72,000 at auction.

Signed, Inscribed  "For Artists," dated 1975 and numbered in Roman Numerals in pencil from a rare Proof Edition of 50 (in Roman Numerals) by Rosenquist.

Serigraph printed on Arches cover paper, published by Styria Studio with their blind-stamp in the lower, right-hand corner. 

Provenance: Published by Styria Studio, New York