Name: Haystack #1
Brand: Roy Lichtenstein
Rating: 5 (236 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Roy Lichtenstein’s Haystack #1 (signed) is estimated to be worth between £5,500 and £8,500. This planographic print from 1969 has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 6%. Over the past 12 months, the artwork has sold once at an average selling price of £5,500. In the last five years, the hammer price has ranged from £5,500 in October 2024 to £8,260 in July 2021. This work has a strong auction history, having been sold 5 times since its initial sale in October 2011. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 100.

Meaning & Analysis

Roy Lichtenstein is known for boldly addressing hierarchical notions pinning high art against low art. His Haystack series of 1969 was inspired by French impressionist Claude Monet’s influential Haystack paintings of the early 1900s. The same year Lichtenstein also finalised his masterful Cathedral series, based on Monet’s portrayal of the Rouen Cathedral.

read more about Haystack

Examining the art historical context of his source material in depth, Lichtenstein abstracts the iconic haystack motif, translating it into the visual language of Pop Art. His Haystacks replace Monet’s loose brushstrokes with his hand-painted signature Ben Day dots. The artist integrates colourful painterly gestures with the readymade quality of screen prints. In doing so, Lichtenstein seeks to parallel the objective of the original impressionist paintings, which was to examine the relationship between colour and light.

Therefore, Haystack #1’s colour scheme is yellow, representing an early morning depiction of a hayfield. Lichtenstein leaves room for the white background to peek through between the soft yellow dots, allowing for the contours of the main haystack in the centre to assemble.

The work presents a calculated commentary on art history’s claim that mechanical reproduction is devoid of originality. In fact, the Haystack prints exhibit images that are in essence purer than their reference material, seeing as they are controlled through their medium.