Nude Reading
Nude Reading
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
£90,000-£140,000 VALUE (EST.)
$170,000-$260,000 VALUE (EST.)
$150,000-$240,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥790,000-¥1,220,000 VALUE (EST.)
€100,000-€160,000 VALUE (EST.)
$890,000-$1,390,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥15,330,000-¥23,840,000 VALUE (EST.)
$110,000-$180,000 VALUE (EST.)
This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
Relief print, 1994
Signed Print Edition of 60
H 78cm x W 92cm
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sotheby's Online - United Kingdom | Nude Reading - Signed Print | ||||
| April 2023 | Phillips New York - United States | Nude Reading - Signed Print | |||
| June 2022 | Phillips New York - United States | Nude Reading - Signed Print | |||
| December 2020 | Bonhams New Bond Street - United Kingdom | Nude Reading - Signed Print | |||
| October 2019 | Bonhams Los Angeles - United States | Nude Reading - Signed Print | |||
| June 2019 | Bonhams New Bond Street - United Kingdom | Nude Reading - Signed Print | |||
| November 2018 | Doyle New York - United States | Nude Reading - Signed Print |
Meaning & Analysis
Roy Lichtenstein’s daring contributions to Pop Art undoubtedly secured the movement’s prominence in the realm of contemporary art. The artist delved into a broad array of subject matter throughout his career. His Nudes from 1994 zeroed in on the iconography of nudes, interrogating the enduring art historical heritage of this particular mode of representation.
Taking inspiration from two of his most significant art historical influences, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, Lichtenstein abstracts the female body to its essential forms. While comic heroines have frequently featured in the artist’s creative practice, the intimate scenes captured in his Nudes depict an entirely new interpretation of femininity. Just as in traditional paintings, Lichtenstein’s Nudes remain generic objects of desire. By eliminating a leading male trope, however, the overall impression of the print calls attention to the beholder’s voyeuristic tendencies.
Observing Nude Reading feels as though one is intruding on the heroine, who is deeply absorbed in her reading. The book she is holding covers most of her face, while her body is obscured by dots and stripes. Lichtenstein’s use of varied planes of Ben Day dots within the composition supply the figure with great depth and heightened dimensionality. Nude Reading is unbothered, unaware and quite frankly all together uninterested in the world outside her comfortable and brightly coloured interior.
