La Sortie, 1990: Print published 1991, by Roy Lichtenstein

  • Stylised image of a domestic interior, containing a blue armchair and a red lamp.

    La Sortie, 1990, published 1991

    Woodcut on 4-ply Paper Technologies, Inc., Museum Board

    Sheet: 148.9 x 205.7 cm

    Edition of 60; plus 14 AP, 1 RTP, 2 PP, 3 GEL, 6 SP, 1 C

    © The Estate of Roy Lichtenstein

    BACK TO: INTERIOR SERIES
     
    La Sortie, 1990, from Roy Lichtenstein’s late Interior series, is executed as a richly hued woodcut in colours on 4‑ply Paper Technologies. Numbered from an edition of 60 with additional artist proofs, the work was hand‑signed, dated, and published by Gemini G.E.L. in 1991, aligning it with one of the most significant printmaking collaborations of the artist’s career. 
     
    Unlike other prints in the series that draw directly from advertisement imagery, La Sortie (French for “The Exit”) is distinguished by its intimate, almost cinematic composition and selective framing. Against a diagonally striped wallpaper, a pale blue armchair and a red lamp are depicted with bold outlines and flat colours. Meanwhile, a sequence of four curved lines or creases on the chair indicates the impression of a previously seated figure - perhaps the cropped-out lady whose heeled leg is shown exiting the frame and who introduces a subtle, erotic narrative beyond the composition’s borders. 
  • "I limited my colors... When painters like Mondrian have used more pastel colours, I don’t think it’s successful. "
     

    - Roy Lichtenstein

    Formally, La Sortie synthesises the signature elements of Lichtenstein’s late Pop Art practice: regimented patterning, emphatic contour lines, and flat planarity, while progressively deepening the series’ engagement with spatial ambiguity and visual rhythm. As part of the broader Interior sequence, this print reflects the artist’s exploration of modern domestic environments as constructed visual experiences.