Masterpiece

American painter Roy Lichtenstein painted this Work in 1962, the same year he had his first New York exhibition at Leo Castelli Gallery. The 54-inch square canvas depicts a blonde woman gazing at a painting held by a man named Brad, her speech bubble declaring: "Why, Brad darling, this painting is a landmark work! My, soon you'll have all of New York clamoring for your work!"

The irony was not lost on collectors. Lichtenstein's career exploded that year, and the painting became a self-fulfilling prophecy. He rendered the comic book scene with his signature Ben-Day dots, the mechanical printing technique he hand-painted to blur the line between commercial illustration and fine art. The flat colors and bold outlines transformed lowbrow source material into Pop Art commentary.

Collector Agnes Gund kept the painting in her Upper East Side apartment for years before selling it in 2017 for $165 million to hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen. Gund used the proceeds to establish the Art for Justice Fund, supporting criminal justice reform. The sale ranked among the fifteen highest prices ever paid for an artwork.