Sweet Dreams Baby!
Sweet Dreams Baby!
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
£60,000-£90,000Value Indicator
$120,000-$180,000 Value Indicator
$110,000-$160,000 Value Indicator
¥540,000-¥810,000 Value Indicator
€70,000-€110,000 Value Indicator
$580,000-$870,000 Value Indicator
¥11,550,000-¥17,320,000 Value Indicator
$70,000-$110,000 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 200
Year: 1965
Size: H 91cm x W 65cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sotheby's London | United Kingdom | ||||
| December 2024 | Ketterer Kunst Hamburg | Germany | |||
| March 2024 | Bonhams New York | United States | |||
| October 2023 | Forum Auctions London | United Kingdom | |||
| October 2022 | Christie's New York | United States | |||
| October 2022 | Freeman's | United States | |||
| September 2022 | A.N. Abell Auction Company | United States |
Meaning & Analysis
11 Pop Artists was a three part portfolio commissioned in 1965, compiling prints by emerging artists of the time who engaged in printmaking. Roy Lichtenstein’s vibrant pop debut appears in all three volumes, signaling his meteoric rise into the realms of Post-War American art.
The works featured in the portfolio are the culmination of the years Lichtenstein spent perfecting his printmaking skills. The artist’s other print from the same volume, a slick cartoon of a songstress titled Reverie, interrupts aesthetic conventions gently. Meanwhile, Sweet Dreams Baby! is bold, noisy and intense, delivering a literal blow to the traditional artistic legacies of the 19th century.
Lichtenstein manufactures a clinically precise and universally recognisable picture, using the instruments of commercial printing. The work confronts the viewer with the very essence of Pop Art. Additionally, it also reintroduces discredited comic book imagery into contemporary artistic dialogue.
Sweet Dreams Baby! is a masterful and dynamic artwork that relies on its verbal-visual language, which contrasts the dual nature of words against an action packed illustration. The print has been commonly dubbed the “pow print”, on account of its depiction of a punch overlaid with the word “pow!”.
Roy Lichtenstein, born in New York, 1923, is a seminal figure in the Pop Art movement, renowned for his comic book and advertisement-inspired artworks. His transformative journey from classical painter to Pop Art pioneer began with his iconic piece, Look Mickey, marking the fusion of painting with pop culture. Lichtenstein’s works, including Whaam!, Drowning Girl, and Crying Girl, blend parody and satire, challenging the boundaries between popular culture and ‘high art’. With over 5,000 pieces to his name, Lichtenstein’s enduring influence resonates in contemporary art, his works celebrated in prestigious institutions worldwide.
