Roy Lichtenstein’s Greenwich Village Studio Donated to Whitney Museum

By: William Cici

Famous pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s studio in New York City will be donated to the Whitney Museum, according to press releases.

Legendary pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s studio, where he lived and worked until his death, will be donated to the Whitney Museum of American Art”. The news was announced this week in a joint press release by the museum and the late artist’s widow, Dorothy Lichtenstein., The NY Post reported.

“The Whitney, which since moving downtown in 2015 has been a neighbor of the studio, operating four blocks north on Gansevoort Street, will adapt the space to serve as the first permanent home of its widely influential Independent Study Program, which was founded in 1968,” stated the release.”

The press release goes to say that, “Lichtenstein bought the Greenwich Village building in 1987 and used as both his workspace and home until he died of pneumonia in 1997. He was 73.Before Lichtenstein renovated the 9,000-square-foot property, it consisted of two structures: a former garage and metal shop, the latter built in 1912. After overhauling it, Lichtenstein used the ground floor as his studio and the second floor as a living room. The third floor is a one-bedroom apartment Dorothy has lived in since his death, Hyperallergic reported. The rest of the space has been used by the Lichtenstein Foundation for the “preparation of the archives.”

Lichtenstein’s widow is quoted as saying, “Thanks to Roy, this building has been the site for artistic and intellectual endeavors, both for himself and for the people who have long gathered here. “I can’t think of a more meaningful use for the studio than for the Whitney to carry his legacy far into the future, building on and expanding the role of the Foundation in supporting contemporary art and artists.”

Hannah Frishberg of The New York Post reports, “Roy’s relationship with the Whitney began in 1965, when his work was first included in an exhibition at the institution. To date, the Lichtenstein Foundation has gifted the Whitney more than 400 of the late artist’s works, spanning sculptures, prints, drawings, paintings and other mediums”.

“Roy Lichtenstein was born into an upper middle-class German-Jewish family in New York City.  His father, Milton, was a real estate broker, his mother, Beatrice (Werner), a homemaker.  He was raised on New York City’s Upper West Side and attended public school until the age of twelve, Wikipedia editors summarized.

He then attended New York’s Dwight School, graduating from there in 1940. Lichtenstein first became interested in art and design as a hobby, through school.  He was an avid jazz fan, often attending concerts at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.  He frequently drew portraits of the musicians playing their instruments. In his last year of high school, 1939, Lichtenstein enrolled in summer classes at the Art Students League of New York, where he worked under the tutelage of Reginald Marsh.