Searching for unique memorabilia and valuable metals since 1996, Treasure Hunters Roadshow (THR), one of the premier dealers of gold, silver, militaria, guitars and fine arts in the world, has trekked all across North America and even Europe. Among this crew, however, is a focused team of art specialists who travel alongside their THR counterparts to nearly 100 shows a week in an effort to locate the lost and forgotten works of America’s best artists.
In recent times, the “pop art” culture, guided by trendsetter Roy Lichtenstein, has demonstrated an increase in reputation with collectors although typical landscape pieces by artists such as Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran maintain their high appeal.
At the events the specialists evaluate all types of artwork, and if verified to be authentic and valuable, an offer is made and, if accepted, a check is presented to the seller. With the Treasure Hunters Roadshow Tv show gearing up for yet another season, these artwork enthusiasts are eager to see what other great paintings they will be able to uncover this time around.
A lot of art collectors are inclined to shell out huge amounts of money in order to finish their compilations, and the Treasure Hunters Roadshow specialists have discovered that Roy Lichtenstein’s artwork produced in the 1960s is in high demand and fetching higher selling prices. Lichtenstein became popular for his works that were inspired by graphic novels and ads, revealing a whimsical humor and pop culture satire that seemed to define the pop art movement.
Roy Lichtenstein grew up in New York City in an upper-middle class family but was not a student of the arts. He did, on the other hand, paint and design, but primarily just for fun. As a kid, he would frequent jazz concerts at the Appollo Theatre and sketch portraits of the artists. His higher education at Ohio State University was interrupted by a stint in WWII, but Lichtenstein ultimately returned to complete his Master’s of Fine Arts degree.
It was at this time that he started experimenting with expressionism and cubism and would afterwards be a part of the abstract expressionism school, despite the fact that he did so much later than other artists. Right after a dare from his son, who said, “Hey, dad, bet you can’t paint as good as this,” and displayed a Mickey Mouse comic book, Lichtenstein completed his first work entitled “Look Mickey” in 1961. This first work was so coveted that every piece was purchased by investors before his exhibit opened at the Castelli gallery in 1962.
However, having used subjects from other forms of mass media, many critics began to question Lichtenstein’s originality. He was most identified for his artwork of popular comic book panels, but by 1965 had moved on to other subject matter. Discouraged by his patronizing take on comic book art, noted comic book artist Art Spiegelman commented that “Lichtenstein did no more or less for comics than Andy Warhol did for soup.”
Responding to his critics, in the late 1970s Lichtenstein began to use a much more bizarre style in his art with plastic and metal sculptures and several hundred screen-printed pieces. It is rumored that quite a few of his works are still in the possession of unidentified collectors, even though, in 1996, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. was on file as possessing the most significant assortment of Roy Lichtenstein pieces.
Do you think you may have some contempory art that is worth something? Go to the Treasure Hunters Roadshow events web site to find out when the fine arts professionals will be in your area to evaluate and potentially acquire your collection. A piece of paper that appears like a comic book in your attic just may well be a Roy Lichtenstein original well worth thousands of dollars!