Roy Lichtenstein, Haystack #2, 1969, continues his incisive reimagining of Monet’s iconic haystacks, replacing the ephemeral light and painterly nuance of Impressionism with the graphic precision of Pop Art. The haystack, once a symbol of rural quietude and atmospheric change, is now distilled into a flat, structured composition defined by sharp contours, bold color contrasts, and the meticulous use of Ben-Day dots. The image feels both familiar and strangely detached—an echo of nature mediated through the lens of commercial print aesthetics.

What makes Haystack #2 uniquely compelling is its tension between reverence and critique. Lichtenstein maintains the serial exploration of light and form that Monet pursued, yet subverts its emotive quality with mechanical regularity. The result is an elegant, ironic reflection on perception, reproduction, and the shifting language of art across centuries.

Created in 1969, this Lichtenstein pop art screenprint in colors is hand-signed by Roy Lichtenstein (New York, 1923 – New York, 1997) in pencil: ‘rf Lichtenstein’.  Numbered from the edition of 100, this work is published by Original Editions, New York.

Roy Lichtenstein’s Haystack Series (1969) is a bold and conceptual reinterpretation of Claude Monet’s iconic Haystacks, reframed through the visual vocabulary of Pop Art. Rather than capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere with painterly brushstrokes, Lichtenstein translates Monet’s impressionistic softness into a language of hard edges, Ben-Day dots, and synthetic color. Each print in the series reimagines the same rural motif with graphic precision, systematically altering color combinations and patterns to evoke different times of day or seasons—mimicking Monet’s original intent but subverting its method.

By reducing organic forms to industrialized surfaces, Lichtenstein challenges the romanticism of nature and the emotional expressiveness of Impressionism. The Haystack Series becomes a meditation on reproduction, perception, and the history of art itself—transforming a deeply personal and atmospheric subject into a commentary on modern image-making. Elegant in its restraint and conceptually rich, the series exemplifies Lichtenstein’s ability to bridge past and present through irony, intellect, and unmistakable style.

The works in Roy Lichtenstein’s Haystack Series (1969) include: Haystack #1, Haystack #2, Haystack #3, Haystack #4, Haystack #5, Haystack #6, Haystack #6 State I, Haystack #6 State II, Haystack #6 State III, Haystack #7.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Roy Lichtenstein Haystack #2, 1969 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work).

1. Corlett, Lee Mary. The Prints of Roy Lichtenstein A Catalogue Raisonee 1948-1997. Hudson Hills Press: New York, 1994. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 66 on pg. 97.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:

Roy Lichtenstein Haystack #2, 1969 is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.