…Huh?
Medium: Screen-print in colors on Arches wove paper
Year: 1976
Image: 39 5/8 x 27 7/8 inches (100.7 x 70.9 cm)
Sheet: 41 1/2 x 29 5/8 inches (105.6 x 75.4 cm)
Edition: 100
Artist’s Proofs: 20
Publishers: Jerusalem Museum, Israel and Castelli Graphics and Multiples, Inc., New York
Printer: Burston Graphics Centre, Jerusalem
Literature: Corlett 149, RLCR 2430
. . . HUH?, 1976 (RLCR 2430) | Catalogue entry | Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonné
Signed, dated and numbered
…Huh? is a classic example of Roy Lichtenstein’s ongoing fascination with fragmenting narrative, everyday objects, and the language of mass media. It showcases his signature Pop Art style in a later, more conceptually abstract format. It is a visually complex print that combines elements of still life and text-based pop art. The composition is highly fractured and depicts a closely cropped, fragmented scene. At the center is a table setting featuring a cup, which is rendered with the characteristic precision of a commercial illustration. The scene is split into multiple conjoined or overlapping zones, creating a fractured pictorial plane. A sense of an incomplete domestic setting is conveyed through the close-up view of the cup and the edge of a table or surface.
The most distinctive feature is the inclusion of speech bubbles containing fragmented dialogue: “…Huh?,” “I SAY NO,” and “MAKE SURE!” These textual elements float above the scene, detached from any visible speaker, turning the work into an ambiguous visual-verbal puzzle. While the use may be minimized compared to his 1960s comic war paintings, the Ben-Day dots are still present, creating tone and texture in the flat areas of color, reinforcing the cheap, industrial printing process. The colors (primarily yellow, blue, black, and white) are flat, smooth, and unmodulated. Thick, black outlines define all shapes and forms, maintaining the graphic, hard-edge aesthetic of comic strips. The entire print is characterized by a “precise and calculated commercial aesthetic,” deliberately lacking any visible artistic brushwork or personal emotion.
By isolating fragmented objects and dialogue, Lichtenstein intentionally creates an incomplete narrative. The viewer is presented with a moment of conversation and a domestic object, but the context, speakers, and meaning of the phrases are absent. This fragmentation forces the viewer to become an active participant, attempting to construct a story from the clues provided. The ambiguous phrases like “…Huh?” suggest a moment of confusion or a breakdown in communication, perhaps a commentary on the shallow, oversimplified language of mass media and commercial culture itself. The fractured composition mirrors the fractured dialogue.
Auction Results
Pop Impressions: Prints from the Collection of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 April 2026
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 20,000
USD 40,960
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
…HUH? (Corlett 149; RLCR 2430), 1976
Screenprint in colors on Arches wove paper
Signed in pencil, dated and inscribed AP 6/20
This impression is one of 20 artist’s proofs aside from the numbered edition of 100
Co-published by the Jerusalem Museum, Castelli Graphics and Multiples, Inc.
SBI Art Auction: 28 October 2023
Estimated: JPY 2,000,000 – 3,000,000
JPY 2,875,000 / USD 19,210
Roy LICHTENSTEIN
…Huh? (Corlett 149), 1976
Screenprint
Signed, dated and numbered on the lower right
From the edition of 100
Christie’s London: 28 September 2022
Estimated: GBP 8,000 – 12,000
GBP 23,940 / USD 27,685
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)
…Huh?, 1976
Screen-print in colors on Arches wove paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 35/100
Sotheby’s New-York: 16 September 2021
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 25,200
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
…Huh? (Corlett 149), 1976
Screen-print in colors on Arches wove paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 58/100
Rago: 16 June 2021
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 22,500
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923 – 1997)
…Huh?, 1976
Screen-print in colors on Arches wove paper
Signed, dated and numbered to lower right ’86/100 Roy Lichtenstein 76′