After his iconic paintings of comic-strip heroines, still lifes were probably the most important and extensive subject matter that occupied Roy Lichtenstein throughout his career. From some of his earliest paintings such as Black Flowers, 1961, to his Brushstroke Still Life series from 1997, Lichtenstein sought to re-invent one of the noblest of artistic genres for the Pop age.
Introduction
The Seven Apple Woodcuts series takes as its subject one of those most familiar tropes immortalized by countless artists including Caravaggio, Cranach the Elder, Cézanne, Gaugin, Courbet, Magritte, rendering it in a dramatically new and energetic way. The Pop artist’s rendering of bold, graphic gestures and fluid brushstrokes defines what lies at the heart of his work—a thorough and systematic examination of how we look at objects, and how we then represent them in a visual medium. Rendered in a series of dramatic signs, Lichtenstein’s fruit appears out of a flurry of stylized brushstrokes. Solid black lines denote the outline of the fruit, while colorful passages of red and yellow make up their shiny surface. Large and imposing, these apples dominate the composition, pushing out the additional elements that, historically speaking at least, were often included in still life paintings. This this lack of extraneous material thereby focusing attention on the purely formal aspects of the fruit. Concentrating attention on optical nature of light and shadow, Lichtenstein’s dramatic style encourages us to decipher what we are seeing for ourselves, rather than presenting us with a straightforward, realistic depiction of the appearance of the fruit.
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)
Two Red and Yellow Apples, 1981
Oil and Magna on canvas
24×28 inches (60.9 x 71.1 cm)
Despite the apparent simplicity of his Pop aesthetic, Lichtenstein was deeply interested in the physical optics of how we look at objects. As part of his studies at Ohio State University he was taught to examine the visual properties of his chosen subject matter as much as their outward physical appearance. For Lichtenstein, these “familiar objects” initially became the cheap comic books that were sold by their millions in grocery stores and newsstands across the country. Their mass-produced aesthetic reduced the world to bold, flat and often black-and-white or primary colored renditions; gone were the delicate subtleties of traditional chiaroscuro, replaced instead by bold hatching and Ben-day dots. But in rendering the apples in a series of gestural brushstrokes as he does here, Lichtenstein celebrates the idea of the artist and the artistic process as much as he does the subject matter. Using incredible draftsmanship and skill, he strategically manipulates, reorganizes and reframes his subjects, and engages in a complex dialogue with his forefathers, allowing the painting to become more than the sum of its parts. It is no short order to re-invent one of the oldest genres of painting, the still life. Lichtenstein manages to utilize his trademark pictorial vocabulary to redefine what on the surface seems apparently naïve but is actually highly sophisticated and results in a compelling reexamination of the nature of representation.
Petersburg Press approached Lichtenstein about doing a woodcut project using the traditional Japanese method of printing with watercolor-based inks on Japanese paper. Colors are applied to the blocks with brushes and printed several times to get the desired intensity. Printing is done by hand, not through a press. Lichtenstein has characterized these works as “quiet and elegant.” (Lichtenstein, in conversation with Fine, March 28, 1983.)
The project was begun in 1982. The collage images were photographically transferred to the blocks and then hand-cut by the artist. The printing was done in two cities: Michael Berdan, who had lived and trained in Japan, was then working in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Shigemitsu Tsukaguchi, master printer from Japan, was in Philadelphia, where he shared the proofing and edition printing with Diane Hunt.
The Seven Apple Woodcuts series was exhibited at Castelli Graphics in 1982. Lichtenstein likely misremembered the date when signing the prints in 1983
Source: Roy Lichtenstein Catalogue Raisonne
Seven Apple Woodcuts, 1982
Seven Apple Woodcuts series, 1982
7 Prints / 518 Impressions
Seven Apple Woodcuts series
The complete set of seven woodcuts
Medium: Woodcut in colors on hand-made Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Year: 1982
Sheet: 31 1/4 x 41 3/4 inches (79.4 x 106 cm) (irregular)
Image: 23 1/16 x 34 11/16 inches (58.6 x 88.1 cm)
Edition: 60
Artist’s Proofs: 14 AP
Publisher: Petersburg Press Inc., London and New-York
Printer: Petersburg Press Inc., London and New-York
Literature: Corlett 193-1999
1. Apple and Lemon (Corlett 193)
2. Apple with Gray Background (Corlett 194)
3. Red and Yellow Apple (Corlett 195)
4. Red Apple (Corlett 196)
5. Red Apple and Yellow Apple (Corlett 197)
6. Two Apples (Corlett 198)
7. Vertical Apple (Corlett 199)
2026 Auction Results
Vertical Apple, 1982
Christie’s New-York: 15 April 2026
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 13,970
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)
Vertical Apple from: the Seven Apple Woodcuts Series, 1983
(Corlett 199; Roy Lichtenstein Catalogue Raisonné 3285)
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 31⁄60
(there were also fourteen artist’s proofs)
Published by Petersburg Press, London and New York
2025 Auction Results
Apple and Lemon, 1982
Property from the Petersburg Press Archives
Sotheby’s New-York: 23 October 2025
Estimated: USD 5,000 – 7,000
USD 5,334
UNSIGNED ARCHIVE PROOF
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Apple and Lemon (Corlett 193; RLCR 3186), 1982
From Seven Apple Woodcuts
Woodcut printed in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
This impression is an archive proof aside from the numbered edition of 60 plus 14 artist’s proofs
Published by Petersburg Press
Apple with Gray Background, 1982
Property from the Petersburg Press Archives
Sotheby’s New-York: 23 October 2025
Estimated: USD 5,000 – 7,000
USD 5,334
UNSIGNED ARCHIVE PROOF
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Apple with Gray Background (Corlett 194; RLCR 3102), 1982
From Seven Apple Woodcuts
Woodcut printed in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
This impression is an archive proof aside from the numbered edition of 60 plus 14 artist’s proofs
Published by Petersburg Press
Red Apple and Yellow Apple, 1982
Property from the Petersburg Press Archives
Sotheby’s online: 15 July 2025
Estimated: USD 5,000 – 7,000
USD 7,620
UNSIGNED ARCHIVE PROOF
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Red Apple and Yellow Apple, from Seven Apple Woodcuts (Corlett 197), 1982
Woodcut printed in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
This impression is an archive proof aside from the numbered edition of 60 plus 14 artist’s proofs
Vertical Apple, 1982
Property from the Petersburg Press Archives
Sotheby’s online: 15 July 2025
Estimated: USD 5,000 – 7,000
USD 8,890
UNSIGNED ARCHIVE PROOF
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Vertical Apple, from Seven Apple Woodcuts (Corlett 199), 1982
Woodcut printed in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
This impression is an archive proof aside from the numbered edition of 60 plus 14 artist’s proofs
Vertical Apple, 1982
Phillips New-York: 24 June 2025
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 13,970
(there were also 14 artist’s proofs)
Seven Apple Woodcuts, 1982
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 April 2025
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 53,340
COMPLETE SET
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Seven Apple Woodcut Series (see Corlett 193-199), 1983
The complete set of seven woodcuts printed in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
This set is aside from the numbered edition of 60 plus 14 artist’s proofs
2024 Auction Results
Two Apples, 1982
Wright Chicago: 18 December 2024
Estimated: USD 7,000 – 9,000
USD 8,820
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923–1997)
Two Apples (Corlett 198), 1983
Woodcut in colors on Iwano Kizuki Hosho
Signed, dated and numbered to lower edge ‘24/60 rf Lichtenstein 83’
Apple and Lemon, 1982
DuMouchelles: 13 September 2024
Estimated: USD 5,000 – 8,000
USD 7,500 (Hammer)
USD 9,300
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (American, 1923-1997)
“Apple & Lemon” (Corlett 193), 1983
From Seven Apple Woodcuts
Woodcut in Colors on Handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 56/60
Apple and Lemon, 1982
Rago: 4 June 2024
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 10,080
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923–1997)
Apple & Lemon (from the Seven Apple Woodcuts series), 1983
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho
Signed, titled and numbered to lower right ‘30/60 Roy Lichtenstein ’83’
2023 Auction Results
Red Apple and Yellow Apple, 1982
Dorotheum Vienna: 8 November 2023
Estimated: EUR 10,000 – 15,000
EUR 15,600 / USD 16,685
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (New York 1923-1997)
“Red Apple and Yellow Apple” (Corlett 197), 1983
From: ‘Seven Apple Woodcuts Series’
Color woodcut on handmade Mano Kizuki Hosho Japanese paper
Signed and dated rf Lichtenstein ’83
No. 57 from the edition of 60 numbered impressions
Vertical Apple, 1982
Estimated: JPY 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
JPY 2,070,000 / USD 13,835
From the edition of 60
Red Apple and Yellow Apple, 1982
K Auction Seoul: 18 January 2023
Estimated: KRW 12,000,000 – 25,000,000
KRW 13,800,000 / USD 11,150
ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Red Apple and Yellow Apple (Corlett 197), 1983
Woodcut
Signed, dated and numbered 25/60 on the lower left
2022 Auction Results
Apple with Gray Background, 1982
LA Modern: 8 September 2022
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 18,000
USD 12,500
ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Apple with Gray Background (from the Seven Apple Woodcut Series), 1983
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho
Signed, dated and numbered to lower edge ’38/60 rf Lichtenstein 83′
Apple with Gray Background, 1982
Bonhams New-York: 12 May 2022
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 12,750
Woodcut on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 38/60
Red and Yellow Apple, 1982
Bonhams New-York: 1 November 2022
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 18,000
USD 16,575
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 24/60
Red and Yellow Apple, 1982
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 18,000
USD 20,400
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 28/60
Apple and Lemon
Apple and Lemon
from Seven Apple Woodcuts series
Medium: Woodcut in colors on hand-made Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Year: 1983
Sheet: 31 1/4 x 41 3/4 inches (79.4 x 106 cm) (irregular)
Image: 23 1/16 x 34 11/16 inches (58.6 x 88.1 cm)
Edition: 60
Artist’s Proofs: 14 AP
Publisher: Petersburg Press, London
Literature: Corlett 193, RLCR 3186
Apple and Lemon, 1982 (RLCR 3186) | Catalogue entry | Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonné
Signed, dated and numbered in pencil
Auction Results
Property from the Petersburg Press Archives
Sotheby’s New-York: 23 October 2025
Estimated: USD 5,000 – 7,000
USD 5,334
UNSIGNED ARCHIVE PROOF
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Apple and Lemon (Corlett 193; RLCR 3186), 1982
From Seven Apple Woodcuts
Woodcut printed in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
This impression is an archive proof aside from the numbered edition of 60 plus 14 artist’s proofs
Published by Petersburg Press
DuMouchelles: 13 September 2024
Estimated: USD 5,000 – 8,000
USD 7,500 (Hammer)
USD 9,300
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (American, 1923-1997)
“Apple & Lemon” (Corlett 193), 1983
From Seven Apple Woodcuts
Woodcut in Colors on Handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 56/60
Rago: 4 June 2024
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 10,080
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923–1997)
Apple & Lemon (from the Seven Apple Woodcuts series), 1983
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho
Signed, titled and numbered to lower right ‘30/60 Roy Lichtenstein ’83’
Christie’s New-York: 20 April 2017
Estimated: USD 7,000 – 10,000
USD 11,250
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)
Apple and Lemon, 1983
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 33/60
Apple with Gray Background
Apple with Gray Background
from Seven Apple Woodcuts series
Medium: Woodcut in colors on hand-made Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Year: 1983
Image: 25 x 26 1/2 inches (63.4 x 67.3 cm)
Sheet: 30 1/8 x 33 inches (76.4 x 83.8 cm)
Edition: 60
Artist’s Proofs: 14 AP
Publisher: Petersburg Press, London
Literature: Corlett 194, RLCR 3187
Signed, dated and numbered in pencil
Auction Results
Property from the Petersburg Press Archives
Sotheby’s New-York: 23 October 2025
Estimated: USD 5,000 – 7,000
USD 5,334
UNSIGNED ARCHIVE PROOF
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Apple with Gray Background (Corlett 194; RLCR 3102), 1982
From Seven Apple Woodcuts
Woodcut printed in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
This impression is an archive proof aside from the numbered edition of 60 plus 14 artist’s proofs
Published by Petersburg Press
LA Modern: 8 September 2022
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 18,000
USD 12,500
ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Apple with Gray Background (from the Seven Apple Woodcut Series), 1983
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho
Signed, dated and numbered to lower edge ’38/60 rf Lichtenstein 83′
Bonhams New-York: 12 May 2022
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 12,750
Woodcut on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 38/60
Red and Yellow Apple
Red and Yellow Apple
from Seven Apple Woodcuts Series
Medium: Woodcut in colors on hand-made Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Year: 1982
Image: 23 1/2 x 31 inches (59.7 x 78.7 cm)
Sheet: 28 1/2 x 37 3/8 inches (72.3 x 94.8 cm)
Edition: 60
Artist’s Proofs: 14 AP
Publisher: Petersburg Press, London
Literature: Corlett 195, RLCR 3249
Red and Yellow Apple, 1982 (RLCR 3249) | Catalogue entry | Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonné
Signed, dated and numbered in pencil
Auction Results
Bonhams New-York: 1 November 2022
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 18,000
USD 16,575
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 24/60
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 18,000
USD 20,400
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 28/60
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 12,600
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Red and Yellow Apple (Corlett 195), from Seven Apple Woodcuts, 1983
Woodcut printed in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 24/60
Red Apple
Red Apple
from Seven Apple Woodcuts series
Medium: Woodcut in colors on hand-made Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Year: 1983
Image: 22 7/8 x 28 3/4 inches (58.1 x 73 cm)
Sheet: 30 3/8 x 37 inches (77.2 x 94 cm)
Edition: 60
Artist’s Proofs: 14 AP
Publisher: Petersburg Press, London
Literature: Corlett 196, RLCR 3250
Red Apple, 1982 (RLCR 3250) | Catalogue entry | Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonné
Signed, dated and numbered in pencil
Red Apple and Yellow Apple
Red Apple and Yellow Apple
from Seven Apple Woodcuts series
Medium: Woodcut in colors on hand-made Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Year: 1982
Image: 20 1/2 x 30 3/4 inches (52 x 78.1 cm)
Sheet: 27 3/4 x 37 3/4 inches (71.4 x 95.8 cm)
Edition: 60
Artist’s Proofs: 14 AP
Publisher: Petersburg Press, London
Literature: Corlett 197, RLCR 3251
Signed, dated and numbered in pencil
Auction Results
Property from the Petersburg Press Archives
Sotheby’s online: 15 July 2025
Estimated: USD 5,000 – 7,000
USD 7,620
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Red Apple and Yellow Apple, from Seven Apple Woodcuts (Corlett 197), 1982
Woodcut printed in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
This impression is an archive proof aside from the numbered edition of 60 plus 14 artist’s proofs
Dorotheum Vienna: 8 November 2023
Estimated: EUR 10,000 – 15,000
EUR 15,600 / USD 16,685
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (New York 1923-1997)
“Red Apple and Yellow Apple” (Corlett 197), 1983
From: ‘Seven Apple Woodcuts Series’
Color woodcut on handmade Mano Kizuki Hosho Japanese paper
Signed and dated rf Lichtenstein ’83
No. 57 from the edition of 60 numbered impressions
K Auction Seoul: 18 January 2023
Estimated: KRW 12,000,000 – 25,000,000
KRW 13,800,000 / USD 11,150
ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Red Apple and Yellow Apple (Corlett 197), 1983
Woodcut
Signed, dated and numbered 25/60 on the lower left
Sotheby’s New-York: 16 September 2021
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 17,640
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Red Apple and Yellow Apple (Corlett 197), from Seven Apple Woodcuts, 1983
Woodcut printed in colors on Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 18/60
Phillips New-York: 22 April 2021
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 23,040
ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Red Apple and Yellow Apple, from Seven Apple Woodcuts (C. 197), 1983
Woodcut in colors, on Iwano Kizuko Hosho paper
Signed, dated and numbered 36/60 in pencil
Two Apples
Two Apples
from Seven Apple Woodcuts series
Medium: Woodcut in colors on hand-made Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Year: 1983
Sheet: 29 7/8 x 39 1/4 inches (75.9 x 99.7 cm) (irregular)
Edition: 60
Artist’s Proofs: 14 AP
Publisher: Petersburg Press, London
Literature: Corlett 198, RLCR 3263
Two Apples, 1982 (RLCR 3263) | Catalogue entry | Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonné
Signed, dated and numbered in pencil
Auction Results
Wright Chicago: 18 December 2024
Estimated: USD 7,000 – 9,000
USD 8,820
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923–1997)
Two Apples (Corlett 198), 1983
Woodcut in colors on Iwano Kizuki Hosho
Signed, dated and numbered to lower edge ‘24/60 rf Lichtenstein 83’
Bonhams online: 18 August 2020
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 15,000
USD 15,075
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 43/60
Estimated: GBP 4,000 – 6,000
GBP 13,750
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)
Two Apples, from: Seven Apple Woodcut Series, 1983
Woodcut in colors on Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered AP 14/14
An artist’s proof aside from the edition of sixty
Vertical Apple
Vertical Apple
from Seven Apple Woodcuts series
Medium: Woodcut in colors on hand-made Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Year: 1982
Sheet: 37 1/8 x 32 1/2 inches (94.3 x 82.6 cm) (irregular)
Edition: 60
Artist’s Proofs: 14 AP
Publisher: Petersburg Press, London
Literature: Corlett 199, RLCR 3285
Vertical Apple, 1982 (RLCR 3285) | Catalogue entry | Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonné
Signed, dated and numbered in pencil
Auction Results
Christie’s New-York: 15 April 2026
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 13,970
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)
Vertical Apple from: the Seven Apple Woodcuts Series, 1983
(Corlett 199; Roy Lichtenstein Catalogue Raisonné 3285)
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 31⁄60
(there were also fourteen artist’s proofs)
Published by Petersburg Press, London and New York
Property from the Petersburg Press Archives
Sotheby’s online: 15 July 2025
Estimated: USD 5,000 – 7,000
USD 8,890
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Vertical Apple, from Seven Apple Woodcuts (Corlett 199), 1982
Woodcut printed in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
This impression is an archive proof aside from the numbered edition of 60 plus 14 artist’s proofs
Phillips New-York: 24 June 2025
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 13,970
(there were also 14 artist’s proofs)
Estimated: JPY 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
JPY 2,070,000 / USD 13,835
From the edition of 60
Christie’s London: 21 September 2016
Estimated: GBP 5,000 – 7,000
GBP 10,000
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)
Vertical Apple, from: Seven Apple Woodcuts Series, 1983
Woodcut in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 16/60
Complete Sets
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 April 2025
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 53,340
COMPLETE SET
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
Seven Apple Woodcut Series (see Corlett 193-199), 1983
The complete set of seven woodcuts printed in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
This set is aside from the numbered edition of 60 plus 14 artist’s proofs
Van Ham: 10 June 2020
Estimated: EUR 20,000
EUR 71,400
COMPLETE SET
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)
Seven Apple Woodcuts Series, 1983
The complete set of seven woodcuts in colors on handmade Iwano Kizuki Hosho paper
Signed and dated in pencil
An Exhibition’s Proof