In anticipation of his first solo show at The Leo Castelli Gallery, Roy Lichtenstein had a very important decision to make – how to invite the art world elite. Knowing this is how potential collectors would first encounter his work, he needed to make a statement. To Lichtenstein, that meant turning to the highly stylized comic book imagery pervasive in American pop culture and pushing it further to create his iconic blond woman in Crying Girl, 1963. Lichtenstein printed this edition of offset lithographs, setting side a select few of these prints to sign and preserve for sale and—almost unfathomably today—folding the rest in four as paper invitations.
In one image, Crying Girl, with her luscious blond locks, full face of makeup, and pearl earrings, confronts the mid-century feminine ideal to reveal the struggle behind the pursuit of perfection. This print, then, perfectly encapsulates just what sets Lichtenstein apart from his predecessors and summarizes his lasting influence on Pop Art. With its striking field of benday dots, slickly mechanical style, and graphic intensity, there’s little wonder that Lichtenstein selected Crying Girl to set the stage for his first solo exhibition.