Lichtenstein Subway Mural

Roy Lichtenstein is a painter like no other, whose style is both derivative and instantly recognizable. Those are some of the contradictions at the heart of Pop art, the movement that brought Lichtenstein to fame in the 1960s, along with Andy Warhol and others.

Lichtenstein’s work, using appropriated imagery from popular culture, with bold colors and thick black outlines, rich in irony, became an iconic example of 20th-century art, and has been collected by museums all around the world. In 2017, his 1962 painting “Masterpiece” sold for $165 million.

And one of his most distinctive works hangs in the middle of the Times Square/42nd Street subway station. Standing six feet high and 53 feet across, “Times Square Mural” was created in 1994, three years before Lichtenstein’s death, and was installed in 2002 as part of a broader revamping of the station.

Read from left to right, the mural shows a sort of historical timeline of urban life, as masonry arches give way to steel girders and then to the sleek, streamlined retro-futuristic look of Buck Rogers. The colors are bold and instantly recognizable, even across the various textures he depicts. The mural consists of 16 panels of porcelain enamel, shiny and reflective. You can see the artist’s distinctive signature at the far right (along with some unfortunate water damage).

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority offered Lichtenstein $200,000, but he refused all payment, making it a gift to his native city. It’s also a reminder to all who pass by that sometimes it’s worth looking up.