Spray Can
Spray Can
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
£1,400-£2,100
$2,800-$4,200 Value Indicator
$2,550-$3,800 Value Indicator
¥13,000-¥19,000 Value Indicator
€1,700-€2,550 Value Indicator
$13,500-$21,000 Value Indicator
¥280,000-¥410,000 Value Indicator
$1,750-$2,650 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: Lithograph
Edition size: 2000
Year: 1963
Size: H 47cm x W 78cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2024 | Rago | United States | |||
| October 2023 | Rago | United States | |||
| March 2023 | Toomey & Co. Auctioneers | United States | |||
| January 2023 | Lama | United States | |||
| November 2021 | Tate Ward Auctions | United Kingdom | |||
| August 2020 | Bonhams Online | United Kingdom | |||
| October 2019 | Freeman's | United States |
Meaning & Analysis
Roy Lichtenstein’s Spray Can of 1963 is a simplified cartoon representation of a domestic spray can being used by an idealised female hand. Similar to Sandwich and Soda, the work depicts the banality of everyday life, rendered through the idealised nature of print advertisements.
This lithograph was commissioned for the One Cent Life album, featuring the work of leading international contemporary artists. The landmark publication was initiated by Chinese-American poet and printmaker Walasse Ting. One Cent Life encapsulates the essence of an era, the significance of true values, and the appreciation of the simplest things in life. To this day it is the most important album compiling the printed works of avant-garde artists of the post-war era.
Lichtenstein’s Spray Can poses a radical challenge to the conventions of painting. In this print, the artist presents his blue comic book illustration as classic, iconic, and purely American. Akin to Red Barn of 1969, Spray Can is one of Lichtenstein's early ventures into capturing essential shapes. The work marks a pivotal point in Lichtenstein’s career, right as the pop pioneer first began implementing his mechanical Ben Day dot patterning. His Spray Can ultimately symbolises the birth of a new and revolutionary art form.