Head
Head
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
£20,000-£29,000Value
Indicator
$40,000-$60,000 Value Indicator
$35,000-$50,000 Value Indicator
¥180,000-¥260,000 Value Indicator
€23,000-€35,000 Value Indicator
$200,000-$290,000 Value Indicator
¥3,710,000-¥5,380,000 Value Indicator
$25,000-$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: Woodcut
Format: Signed Print
Year: 1980
Size: H 84cm x W 69cm
Edition size: 50
Signed: Yes
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Track auction value trend
The value of Roy Lichtenstein’s Head is estimated to be worth between £20,000 to £29,000. This is a rare woodcut artwork, signed by the artist himself, and originated in 1980. The artwork has seen a total of 3 sales at auction, with the first sale recorded on 29th October 2008 in the United States. However, there have been no recorded sales in the last five years or in the last 12 months, making it an increasingly exclusive piece. The edition size of this artwork is strictly limited to 50, further enhancing its rarity and value.
Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2018 | Christie's New York - United States | Head - Signed Print | |||
| October 2014 | Christie's New York - United States | Head - Signed Print | |||
| October 2008 | Christie's New York - United States | Head - Signed Print |
Meaning & Analysis
Inspired by Expressionism’s visual language, Roy Lichtenstein completed his seven part Expressionist Woodcut series in 1980. In this set of prints, Lichtenstein has taken the energised lines of German expressionists and translated them into stylised compositions of interlocking colours and textures.
Head, undoubtedly the most vivid and compelling woodcut of the series, shows a sharply carved imprint of a face with its gaze turned upwards. It is a real Picasso-esque creation, every element in the print being a different shape, adorned by various hues and patterns. The juxtaposition of the distinctly coloured forms, bold contours, smooth striped surfaces, simulated wood grains and the rough jagged lines all contribute to its powerful appearance.
Lichtenstein based his woodcuts on pencil sketches, which he enlarged with a projector, drawing the final image onto tracing paper. Using Baltic birch, a notably hard wood to gouge, he aimed to achieve the smoothest surface possible. He wanted to produce a print that exhibits only a few traces of the process through which it was manufactured.
The artist applied each colour successively, finishing off with the black contouring. This was quite a different approach compared to the working methods employed by the German expressionists. They tended to carve their images on the woodblocks directly, skipping the preparatory stages.
