Illustration For Hüm Bum
Illustration For Hüm Bum
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
£6,000-£9,000
$12,500-$19,000 Value Indicator
$11,000-$17,000 Value Indicator
¥60,000-¥90,000 Value Indicator
€7,000-€10,500 Value Indicator
$60,000-$90,000 Value Indicator
¥1,150,000-¥1,720,000 Value Indicator
$8,000-$12,000 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) 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: Intaglio
Edition size: 80
Year: 1992
Size: H 38cm x W 28cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2025 | Lama | United States | |||
| July 2024 | Forum Auctions London | United Kingdom | |||
| July 2024 | Forum Auctions London | United Kingdom | |||
| June 2023 | Forum Auctions London | United Kingdom | |||
| September 2007 | Christie's London | United Kingdom | |||
| November 2006 | Lempertz, Cologne | Germany |
Meaning & Analysis
In 1991, Allen Ginsberg, the seminal poet of the Beats generation, asked Roy Lichtenstein to create illustrations for La Nouvelle Chute de l'Amérique, a French edition of his book of poetry. For this project, Lichtenstein used cut-outs of printed and hand-painted paper to design ten collages that were then transformed into etchings and acquaints. The only human figure depicted by Lichtenstein in the series is Ginsberg drawn as a Buddha in a lotus pose. The intaglio print Illustration For ‘Hüm-Bum!’ represents one of the outcomes of Lichtenstein’s collaboration with the poet who boldly questioned America’s past and future.
Illustration For ‘Hüm-Bum!’ responds to Ginsberg’s performance poem that he composed over a period of twenty years. The poem reiterates in a feverish manner: ‘Whom bomb? We bomb’d them!’, ‘Whydja bomb? We didn’t wanna bomb!’. As Ginsberg expanded it over the years, Hum Bom can be seen to record the history of the U.S. militarism, especially America’s involvement in the Vietnam war.
Responding to this difficult legacy, Lichtenstein’s print presents a vision of explosions, in which playful shapes and bold colours seem to clash deliberately with the gravity of the topic. The cubism-inspired vision of an attack contrasts with a series of serene landscapes involved in the portfolio.
