Nude With Blue Hair
Nude With Blue Hair
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
£210,000-£310,000 VALUE (EST.)
$400,000-$580,000 VALUE (EST.)
$350,000-$520,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥1,850,000-¥2,730,000 VALUE (EST.)
€240,000-€360,000 VALUE (EST.)
$2,050,000-$3,020,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥36,620,000-¥54,060,000 VALUE (EST.)
$260,000-$390,000 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 40
H 147cm x W 96cm
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | Wright - United States | Nude With Blue Hair - Signed Print | |||
| November 2019 | Bonhams New York - United States | Nude With Blue Hair - Signed Print | |||
| April 2017 | Phillips New York - United States | Nude With Blue Hair - Signed Print | |||
| April 2016 | Christie's New York - United States | Nude With Blue Hair - Signed Print | |||
| April 2016 | Sotheby's New York - United States | Nude With Blue Hair - Signed Print | |||
| October 2014 | Christie's New York - United States | Nude With Blue Hair - Signed Print | |||
| September 2014 | Sotheby's London - United Kingdom | Nude With Blue Hair - Signed Print |
Meaning & Analysis
Roy Lichtenstein’s Nudes of 1994 place cartoon imagery once again at the centre of his composition. The highly sexualised portrayal of women throughout art history, as well as in contemporary society, has been of paramount importance to Lichtenstein’s work.
The artist’s earliest depictions of female heroines originated in popular comic books and movie stills. These female figures were featured in several of Lichtenstein’s other series, primarily functioning as supporting elements in his creative exploration. The actual nude, however, appeared as a subject matter late in the artist’s career.
In Nude With Blue Hair, the application of the red Ben Day dots vary in size, transgressing the boundaries of the figure's naked upper body and head. Overlaying the contours of her face, the dots cascade from the picture’s top to the bottom. The flowing pattern is merely interrupted by the figure’s pale blue hair, suggesting that she in fact exists in a three-dimensional pictorial space inside the frame.
Patches of clear white base correspond to Lichtenstein’s literal stripping of the female subject to an essential form. The image is closely cropped, seemingly revealing the figure’s availability and generic desire. However, as the naked female figure leans unapologetically into view, the dynamic between subject and observer is subverted. In the end, the beholders themselves feel intruded upon by the leading lady of the composition.
