Roy Lichtenstein, a prominent figure in the Pop Art movement often subject to critical scrutiny, is being celebrated in a comprehensive new exhibition at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art. Titled “Roy Lichtenstein: Like New,” this survey represents the artist’s first major retrospective in New York in 33 years and features previously unseen works alongside ambitious new installations.
A centerpiece of the exhibition is the recreation of the Greene Street Mural, originally created by Lichtenstein in 1983. Inspired by the serial storytelling technique of the Bayeux Tapestry, the site-specific work was commissioned for a building on Greene Street but was destroyed after just six weeks in accordance with the artist’s wishes.
More than four decades after its destruction, a 96-foot (29-meter) reconstruction of the mural will now span the entire entryway of the museum, allowing visitors to experience the monumental piece once again.
96 feet is massive! The Whitney entryway must look incredible now. Can’t wait to see the Bayeux Tapestry inspiration up close.
Wait, he had it destroyed? That’s intense commitment to the concept. How do you tear down something that big?
Finally! A Lichtenstein retrospective this comprehensive since I was in college. Hope they show the sketches too.