Inaugural Print
from Inaugural Impressions
Medium: Screen-print in colors on Arches 88 paper
Year: 1977
Image: 16×26 inches (40.6 x 65.8 cm)
Sheet: 20×30 inches (53.3 x 76.2 cm)
Edition: 100
Artist’s Proofs: 20 AP
Publisher: The Democratic National Committee for the Inauguration of Jimmy Carter
Printer: Tyler Graphics, Ltd.
Literature: Corlett 151
Roy Lichtenstein Catalogue Raisonne: RLCR 2604
Inaugural Print, 1977 (RLCR 2604) | Catalogue entry | Roy Lichtenstein: A Catalogue Raisonné
Signed, dated and numbered in pencil with the printer’s blindstamp
Inaugural Print was part of the Inaugural Impressions portfolio, commissioned by the Democratic National Committee to commemorate President Jimmy Carter’s inauguration. The five-print Inaugural Impressions portfolio also included works by other prominent artists like Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jacob Lawrence. The portfolio was a fundraising initiative, with sale proceeds used to help fund free cultural events in Washington D.C. during the inauguration week and to keep museums open late for the public during the festival. The artists were commissioned by the 1977 Presidential Inaugural Committee for President Jimmy Carter’s inauguration.
Inaugural Print features an abstract, enigmatic composition that combines several symbolic American images. A raised hand on the left, rendered in Lichtenstein’s signature style with bold lines and dots, evokes the presidential swearing-in ceremony. A blue background with white stars, symbolizes the American flag and national identity. A bright yellow sunrise represents the dawn of a new political era. A neoclassical building (resembling the White House or Capitol building) and a vast desert scene on the right side of the print, incorporating architectural and landscape elements. A single, surreal cartoon eye floating in the desert portion, hints at surrealist influences and the Masonic Eye of Providence, a motif of divine watchfulness.
Inaugural Print is a commentary on American cultural history, blending traditional symbols with Lichtenstein’s modern, Pop Art aesthetic. It reflects on the contrast between tradition and change at the time of a new presidential administration. The composition wittily mirrors the layout of vintage political propaganda posters, using a mix of familiar and peculiar shapes to create a contemplative discourse on democratic values and national identity.
Auction Results
Heritage Auctions: 18 April 2023
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 14,375
ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Inaugural Print, 1977
Screen-print in colors on Arches 88
Signed, dated, and numbered ’27/100′ in pencil, lower right
Rago: 16 June 2022
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 25,000
USD 17,500
ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Inaugural Print (from the Inaugural Impressions Portfolio), 1977
Screen-print in colors on Arches 88
Signed, dated, and numbered to lower right ’74/100 Roy Lichtenstein 77′ in pencil
Heritage Auctions: 28 October 2020
Estimated: USD 1,000 – 1,500
USD 14,750
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)
Inaugural Print (Corlett 151), 1977
Screenprint in colors on Arches 88 paper
Edition: 67/100
Signed, numbered, and dated in pencil lower right, with printer’s stamp
Phillips London: 10 September 2020
Estimated: GBP 6,000 – 8,000
GBP 15,000 / USD 19,270
ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Inaugural Print, from Inaugural Impressions, 1977
Screenprint in colors on Arches 88 paper
Signed, dated and numbered 5/100 in pencil
Doyle New-York: 22 October 2018
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 15,000
ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997)
INAUGURAL PRINT (CORLETT 151) from Inaugural Impressions, 1977
Color screenprint on Arches 88 paper
Signed, dated and numbered 12/100 in pencil