ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

James Rosenquist: Pop Art Pioneer's 1980s Reinvention

publication · 2026-04-23

James Rosenquist, a key figure in 1960s Pop Art, experienced a creative resurgence in the mid-1980s with renewed iconography and pictorial approach. In a 1991 interview with Régis Durand published in artpress, they discuss recurring themes in his work: women, flowers, vast cold images, successive fresh starts, and the social unconscious. The interview traces his evolution from billboard painter to pop icon to a more complex, layered visual language.

Key facts

  • James Rosenquist began his career in Pop Art in the 1960s
  • He re-emerged in the mid-1980s with renewed iconography
  • The interview was conducted by Régis Durand
  • The interview was published in artpress in May 1991
  • Themes discussed include women, flowers, vast cold images, successive fresh starts, and the social unconscious
  • Rosenquist's early career included working as a billboard painter
  • His 1980s work marked a shift in pictorial approach
  • The interview provides insight into his artistic evolution

Entities

Artists

  • James Rosenquist

Institutions

  • artpress

Sources