Roy Lichtenstein

£6,000-£7,000 VALUE (EST.)

AUD10,000-AUD15,000 VALUE (EST.)

CAD9,000-CAD10,000 VALUE (EST.)

CNY50,000-CNY60,000 VALUE (EST.)

€7,000-€8,000 VALUE (EST.)

HKD50,000-HKD60,000 VALUE (EST.)

¥1,010,000-¥1,180,000 VALUE (EST.)

$7,000-$8,000 VALUE (EST.)

This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.

Meaning & Analysis

Real Estate of 1969 is one of Roy Lichtenstein’s most detailed and figurative prints. This meticulous architectural sketch serves as a tribute to the artist’s late father who was a prolific real estate broker.Lichtenstein’s simplistic horizontal line drawing shows an industrial building, reminiscent of a sizeable repair shop or a several-story high storage facility.

Executed in bold blue and stark white, the colour palette highlights Lichtenstein's rigorous use of line and shading. The exact design of the wide and flat building involves many tiny and calculated window panes. These contrast nicely with the open and smoothly flowing skies depicted above and in the backdrop of the work.

Lichtenstein utilises a dense gradation of Ben Day dots to evoke dimension within his composition. He applies the same patterning to recreate the surface texture of concrete splayed out beneath the estate. Although simple and almost clinical at first glance, Real Estate is visually captivating as it draws the observer into a multitude of perfected details. Lichtenstein used this very image on his own letterhead for a while when writing to enamel companies. Seeking to manufacture more prints on porcelain, the perfected sketch lent his letter a sense of urgency and gravity.