born New York City 1923-died New York City 1997

—Smithsonian American Art Museum —

Smithsonian American Art Museum


Roy Lichtenstein
born New York City 1923-died New York City 1997

Modern Head
conceived 1974
fabricated 1989-1990 by Lippincott Inc., edition I/I
painted stainless steel

Gift of JEffrey H. Loria in loving memory of his sister, Harriet Loria Popowitz

Roy Lichtenstein began creating his Modern Head series in the late 1960s with the idea that man can be made to look like a machine and the image manufactured by an industrial source. This concept pervaded the artist's work throughout his career. In Modern Head he referenced the flat planes, precision, and abstract geometric forms associated with the 1930s art deco architecture and design.

Modern Head was installed in 1996 in Battery Park City, one block from the World Trade Center, by the Public Art Fund of New York City (top photo). The sculpture survived the destruction of 9/11 with only surface scratches and became a memo board for the FBI during its ensuing investigations (bottom photo). Note the white ash on the base and the windows blown out of the building in the background of the photograph taken by insurance agent Michael Fischman on September 21st. The sculpture was removed on November 9, 2001, for its protection.

Image



captions on marker:
· Before 9/11
· After 9/11

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