James Rosenquist, 1933 – 2017

Artist James Rosenquist has died aged 83. Rosenquist’s works are considered alongside works by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein to be pioneering of the 1960s Pop art movement (despite Rosenquist’s dislike of the term). Originally from North Dakota, Rosenquist began his career as an artist in New York, sharing a lower Manhattan studio with Agnes Martin and Ellsworth Kelly. On distinguishing his work from that of Warhol and Lichtenstein, Rosenquist wrote in his 2009 biography Painting Below Zero: Notes on a Life in Art: ‘I was never concerned with logos or brand names or movie stars, like Andy, for instance. Unlike Roy, I wasn’t interested in ironic simulations of pop media; I wanted to make mysterious pictures.’

In 2003 the Guggenheim held a full retrospective of works by Rosenquist.

4 April 2017