£3,450-£5,000 VALUE (EST.)
$6,500-$9,000 VALUE (EST.)
$6,000-$8,500 VALUE (EST.)
¥29,000-¥40,000 VALUE (EST.)
€3,900-€5,500 VALUE (EST.)
$35,000-$50,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥560,000-¥810,000 VALUE (EST.)
$4,200-$6,000 VALUE (EST.)
This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
Planographic print, 1972
Signed Print Edition of 80
H 87cm x W 84cm
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Toni Clayton, American Pop & Modern Specialist
Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 2022 | Phillips London - United Kingdom | Mirror #5 - Signed Print | |||
September 2020 | Phillips London - United Kingdom | Mirror #5 - Signed Print | |||
September 2019 | Forum Auctions London - United Kingdom | Mirror #5 - Signed Print | |||
November 2018 | Bonhams New York - United States | Mirror #5 - Signed Print | |||
July 2018 | Christie's New York - United States | Mirror #5 - Signed Print | |||
December 2013 | Ketterer Kunst Hamburg - Germany | Mirror #5 - Signed Print | |||
October 2013 | Bonhams San Francisco - United States | Mirror #5 - Signed Print |
Roy Lichtenstein launched his Mirror series in the late 1960s, concluding the sequence in the early 1990s. His Mirrors study the symbolic implications of the mirror motif in art and mythology. Historically, mirrors have been used to reveal complex perspectives and invisible truths. In keeping with the conventions of object painting, Lichtenstein maintains the physical appearance of his mirrors. However, the series liberates the item from its symbolism and functionality.
Mirror #5, executed in 1972, is the first rectangular edition of the series. The print conjures a flattened and unified surface. Two dislodged black and yellow colour blocks are pasted on a stark white backdrop. Fragmented red streaks and black dots adorn the rectangle’s edges, marking its framework. The abstracted shapes and the rich colour scheme constitute, yet also obscure the subject matter. Lichtenstein presents his mirror frontally, displaying the complete absence of reflections. Therefore, Mirror #5 is as much a contradiction, as an exemplification of a mirror.
Over the course of his career, Lichtenstein embarked on several other series dealing with vision and representation. His Water Liliesand Reflections, for instance, explore various perceptions of light and reflection. Meanwhile, Lichtenstein’s Entablatures delve further into object painting, reproducing enlarged architectural fragments as their main composition.