Yellow Brushstroke
Yellow Brushstroke
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
£18,000-£27,000Value
Indicator
$35,000-$50,000 Value Indicator
$30,000-$45,000 Value Indicator
¥160,000-¥240,000 Value Indicator
€21,000-€30,000 Value Indicator
$180,000-$270,000 Value Indicator
¥3,350,000-¥5,030,000 Value Indicator
$23,000-$35,000 Value Indicator
This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren’t enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Etching
Format: Signed Print
Year: 1985
Size: H 60cm x W 33cm
Edition size: 40
Signed: Yes
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Track auction value trend
Roy Lichtenstein's Yellow Brushstroke, a signed etching from 1985, is estimated to be worth £18,000 to £27,000. Despite having no sales in the last 12 months, this artwork has been sold at auction 6 times since its initial sale in 2008. Over the last five years, the hammer price has varied, ranging from £9,295 in October 2021 to £23,160 in August 2022, showing an increase in value with an impressive average annual growth rate of 26%. This work has been sold in four different countries, including the United States, Japan, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 40.
Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2022 | Bonhams New York - United States | Yellow Brushstroke - Signed Print | |||
| June 2017 | Uppsala Auktionskammare - Sweden | Yellow Brushstroke - Signed Print | |||
| September 2015 | Christie's New York - United States | Yellow Brushstroke - Signed Print | |||
| July 2014 | Bonhams New Bond Street - United Kingdom | Yellow Brushstroke - Signed Print | |||
| May 2008 | Bonhams San Francisco - United States | Yellow Brushstroke - Signed Print |
Meaning & Analysis
Beginning in the mid-1960s, pop pioneer Roy Lichtenstein embarked on canvases depicting enlarged cartoon brushstrokes. His premeditated variations imitated the improvised energy with which these colourful sweeps appeared in abstract expressionist paintings. Invoking a sense of spontaneity, Lichtenstein rendered his static strokes in the style of commercial art.
Yellow Brushstroke of 1985 belongs to the artist’s prolific exploration of the brushstroke motif, which comprises several unique editions and portfolios. The print confronts art historical legacies by distilling the main characteristics of brushwork into one cropped sweep of colour. Lichtenstein centers his bright yellow brushstroke on a black and white background of faux-burlap. The flattened smears and splatters of colour are enveloped by trailing outlines defining the shape and direction of the brushstroke. At first glance, Lichtenstein’s Yellow Brushstroke appears to be devoid of explicit motion. Yet, the bold shadows resulting from the contours hold inherent suggestions of movement.
This artwork is the quintessential embodiment of not only Lichtenstein’s oeuvre but of Pop Art itself. The print’s reduced and stylised iconography manifests an intuitive painterly expression as a calculated and controlled visual sign. By presenting a cartoonish take on the act of painting, Yellow Brushstroke questions the authenticity of autobiographical mark-making in art.
