This must be the place, 1965: Print by Roy Lichtenstein

  • This Must Be the Place, 1965 is a sci-fi print by Roy Lichtenstein
    This Must Be the Place, 1965
    Offset lithograph, in yellow, red, blue, and black, on white wove paper, 
    Sheet: 24 3/4 x 17 3/4 in. (62.9 x 45.2 cm), Edition: unknown
    ©The Estate of Roy Lichtenstein
     
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    Roy Lichtenstein’s This Must Be the Place, 1965, presents a stylised, science-fiction cityscape defined by towering vertical buildings that form a futuristic skyline. Rendered in bold planes of yellow, red, blue and black, the composition evokes the visual language of mid-century comic illustration. At the top of the scene, a small rocket hovers above the city, accompanied by a speech bubble declaring, “This must be the place!”, reinforcing the playful, graphic narrative that characterises Lichtenstein’s early Pop works.

     

    Produced as an offset lithograph on white wove paper, the print was published by the Leo Castelli Gallery in an edition of unknown size. Originally created to promote the National Cartoonists Society’s Nineteenth Annual Reuben Awards in 1965, the image was first issued as a poster before being released as a limited gallery edition printed from the same plates. Signed and dated in the plate, with some impressions additionally signed in pencil, the work reflects Lichtenstein’s close engagement with cartoon culture and remains a notable example of his 1960s exhibition-related prints.

     

  • "Pop Art looks out into the world. It doesn't look like a painting of something, it looks like the thing itself." 

     
    - Roy Lichtenstein
    Roy Lichtenstein is known for his bold, graphic use of colour, typically working with primary red, yellow and blue alongside black and white. Across his Pop Art  prints, he applied flat colour fields and Ben-Day dots to replicate the look of commercial printing, creating a clean, mechanical aesthetic. This controlled palette became central to the visual identity of Roy Lichtenstein prints and remains one of the defining characteristics driving recognition and demand within the secondary market.