Roy Lichtenstein, Nudes Series

Roy Lichtenstein’s Nudes series (1994) comprises nine large-format relief prints that mark a significant return to figuration in the final years of the artist’s life. Printed at Tyler Graphics Ltd. in Mount Kisco, New York, the works are catalogued in Volume II of The Prints of Roy Lichtenstein by Mary Lee Corlett.

Technically complex, the prints combine hand-cut stencils with computer-generated, die-cut patterns produced by Swan Engraving. These methods allowed Lichtenstein to apply his signature Ben-Day dots in irregular fields across the figures and backgrounds, creating texture and optical movement while maintaining a flat, graphic finish.

Though the nude is one of the most enduring subjects in the history of art, this series marked Lichtenstein’s first direct engagement with the genre. Rather than work from life, he reimagined female figures drawn from 1960s comic books—removing their clothing, exaggerating their proportions, and placing them in stylised interiors. The result is a set of figures that feel both playful and deliberately objectified, filtered through the lens of mass media.

As a late series, the Nudes reflect Lichtenstein’s sustained interest in perception, surface, and reproduction. While referencing earlier works like Crying Girl and Girl with Hair Ribbon, these prints offer a quieter, more formal investigation—structured compositions that blend sensuality with architectural space.