Centre Pompidou Retrospective Reveals Lichtenstein Beyond Pop

The Centre Pompidou in Paris presents a major retrospective of Roy Lichtenstein, curated by Camille Morineau, running until November 3, 2013. The exhibition features works never before shown in France, including paintings, prints, and sculptures that highlight Lichtenstein's focus on form over subject matter. Drawing on his famous 1963 interview with Gene R. Swenson, where he stated 'What I create is form,' the show argues that Lichtenstein's art is fundamentally about immateriality. He often worked with canvases upside down or sideways to suppress the subject, treating his paintings as abstractions. The exhibition also explores his engagement with music, noise, and invisible phenomena like light and reflection, as seen in series such as Reflections and his late collages. Lichtenstein compared his borrowing of images to jazz musicians reworking popular melodies, citing Thelonious Monk and Igor Stravinsky. The retrospective previously appeared at the Art Institute of Chicago and Tate Modern, London. Concurrently, Gagosian Gallery in Paris hosts a Lichtenstein exhibition through October 12, 2013.