Pop Art in Print
28 July - 22 October 2017The Old Library, Northgate Street, Chester
Vibrant, sexy, cool, and very much of the moment, Pop Art emerged in the USA and the UK in the early 1960s. Inspired by movies, pop music, TV, advertising, magazines and comics, postcards and packaging. Pop reflected a fascination with celebrities and brands which has continued to the present day. At the same time, by addressing key political issues of the time, Pop Art also offered a suitable critique of consumerism and the American dream.
Prints are central to the story of Pop; all of the great Pop artists made prints, often working with the new print studios which were adapting commercial print processes – screen-printing and lithography – to fine art purposes. Indeed some of the most iconic works of Pop Art are prints.
The Victoria & Albert Museum’s ‘Pop Art in Print’ exhibition, presented by Chester Visual Arts, brought together, for the first time, an international collection of Pop graphics featuring artists Andy Warhol, Patrick Caulfield, Richard Hamilton, Allen Jones, Roy Lichtenstein and Ed Ruscha.
It also explored Pop in other media, including printed textiles from the period, wallpapers inspired by Pop’s strong graphic character and comic book styling, artists’ books and posters. The exhibition concluded by taking a look at the legacy of Pop in the work of more recent artists and designers.
Artists featured included:
Patrick Caulfield, Michael English, Richard Hamilton, Allen Jones, Gerald Laing, Roy Lichtenstein, Peter Phillips, Zandra Rhodes, Ed Ruscha, Richard Smith, Gavin Turk, Andy Warhol, John Wilkinson.
Exhibition images:
Images © Steve Judson at Steve Judson Photography
Video courtesy of Veracity Digital
Exhibition partner:
