Modern Print

Medium: Lithograph and screen-print in colors on Special Arjomari paper
Year: 1971
Image: 24×24 inches (61×61 cm)
Sheet: 31×31 inches (78.4 x 78.4 cm)
Edition: 200
Artist’s Proofs: 15
Publishers: The artist and Gemini, G.E.L., Los Angeles
Literature: Corlett 103, Gemini 277

Roy Lichtenstein Catalogue Raisonne: RLCR 1991

Modern Print, 1971 (RLCR 1991) | Catalogue entry | Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonné

Signed, dated and numbered in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamps and inkstamp on reverse

 

Modern Print is a vibrant Pop Art piece that synthesizes Cubism, Constructivism, and 1930s Art Deco styles to explore the intersection of fine art and commercial design. It was created using lithography and screenprint techniques, demonstrating Lichtenstein’s ongoing interest in mechanical reproduction.

Modern Print features an intricate arrangement of geometric and abstract shapes, including flat, unmodulated black and white forms that are cut by bold red, blue, and bright yellow diagonal stripes. The shapes are superimposed over a backdrop of the Ben-Day dots that Lichtenstein famously adopted from comic books and commercial printing. The work creates a dynamic tension between static geometrical shapes and the repetitive, diagonal patterns. As with many of his works, this print has a smooth, “gesture-free” finish, which undermines the hand of the artist and suggests mass production.

Modern Print is a commentary on modern art history itself. It references Cubism and Constructivism, with its geometric and fragmented forms, and fuses them with the sleek, commercial aesthetics of Art Deco. This creates a dialogue between earlier modernist movements and the visual culture of contemporary America. By meticulously rendering machine-like dots and patterns by hand, Lichtenstein explored the relationship between mechanical reproduction and manual craft. The print’s polished surface further emphasizes this tension.

 

 

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Auction Results

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Sotheby’s New-York: 23 October 2025
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 13,970

ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Modern Print (Corlett 103; RLCR 1991), 1971
Lithograph and screenprint in colors on Special Arjomari wove paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered from the edition of 200
This impression is from the edition of 200 plus 15 artist’s proofs
Co-published by the artist and Gemini G.E.L.

SBI Art Auction: 23 May 2025
Estimated: JPY 800,000 – 1,400,000
JPY 1,840,000 / USD 12,910

ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Modern Print (Corlett 103), 1971
Lithograph and screenprint
Signed, dated and numbered
From the edition of 200

Phillips New-York: 15 February 2024
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 12,065

Swann Galleries: 16 November 2023
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 18,000
USD 11,250

ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Modern Print, 1971
Color lithograph and screenprint on Special Arjomari paper
Signed, dated and numbered 77/200 in pencil, lower right

Wright: 8 August 2023
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 15,000
USD 13,860

Swann Auction Galleries: 8 June 2023
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 18,000
USD 15,000

ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Modern Print, 1971
Color lithograph and screen-print on Special Arjomari paper
Signed, dated and numbered 200/200 in pencil, lower right

Sotheby’s New-York: 22 October 2021
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 20,160
AUCTION RECORD FOR MODERN PRINT

ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Modern Print (Corlett 103), 1971
Lithograph and screen-print in colors on Special Arjomari paper
Signed in pencil and numbered 125/200 (total edition includes 15 artist’s proofs)

Christie’s New-York: 20 July 2021
Estimated: USD 7,000 – 10,000
USD 17,500

ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)
Modern Print, 1971
Lithograph and screen-print in colors on Special Arjomari paper
Signed, dated and annotated ‘To Rob – all the best!’ in pencil, numbered 173/200