Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923-1997). "Polemic". Color woodcut. 1959. Signed in pencil, lower right. Edition of circa 2,000. Thick wove paper. The full sheet; untrimmed. Fine impression. Literature/catalogue raisonne: Corlett III.2. Cover for Polemic, Vol. IV, No. 1, Spring 1959. An early and original Lichtenstein woodcut in black and white, with title printed in maroon. Rare. In her catalogue raisonné of Lichtenstein’s prints, Mary Lee Corlett discusses the two woodcuts Lichtenstein made for “Polemic” in 1957 and 1959 (hand-printed by C.W. Kinney, Jr., at Press of the Times, Oberlin, Ohio): “For a brief time in the late 1950s, Lichtenstein was a latecomer to the abstract expressionist style. This is visible in his last two prints of that decade. Both were made for ‘Polemic,’ a literary-art journal published by the student council at Adelbert College, Western Reserve University (now part of Case Western Reserve), in Cleveland, Ohio.” No edition size is stated, but it is known that 2,000 copies were printed of the 1958 issue. The only reported auction sale we could find (and an unsigned impression) is Stockholms Auktionswerk 4-27-04, Lot 1318, sold at $1,231 (SK 9,400). Image copyright © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein. Overall size: 10 x 20 11/16 in. (254 x 525 mm). Image size: 10 x 20 3/8 in. (254 x 518 mm). [19893] |1200| {R100}