Roy Lichtenstein’s Homage to Max Ernst (1975) is a refined and witty dialogue between two titans of twentieth-century art. In this work, Lichtenstein honors Ernst’s Surrealist ingenuity through the precise language of Pop, merging mechanical precision with painterly homage. Executed in his signature Ben-Day dots and crisp black contour lines, the composition is both cerebral and lyrical — a reflection on artistic lineage filtered through the cool detachment of printmaking.

The piece evokes Ernst’s experimental collage and frottage techniques, but Lichtenstein reinterprets them with the clean geometry and industrial clarity that define his mature style. Abstract shapes, fractured planes, and illusionistic textures are reassembled into a balanced, almost architectural structure. The dialogue between mechanical pattern and organic suggestion — between order and chance — recalls the Surrealist pursuit of the unconscious, now disciplined by Pop’s graphic restraint.

The color palette is characteristically restrained yet dynamic: fields of primary red, blue, and yellow harmonize with neutrals, their rhythm enlivened by the mechanical precision of the dots and stripes. The result is a visual conversation between spontaneity and control, between homage and reinvention.

Beneath its compositional sophistication lies an affectionate irony — Lichtenstein’s “homage” is at once a tribute and a translation. By reframing Ernst’s dreamlike irrationality in the language of postwar mass production, Lichtenstein creates an elegant meditation on influence and originality. The work stands as both a salute to Surrealism’s inventiveness and a testament to Pop Art’s capacity to transform history into image — polished, precise, and profoundly self-aware.

Created in 1975, 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.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Roy Lichtenstein, Homage to Max Ernst, 1975 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. 137 on pg. 140.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:

Roy Lichtenstein, Homage to Max Ernst, 1975 is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.