Roy Lichtenstein’s Modern Head series, created between 1969 and 1970, takes inspiration from the portrait heads of Alexei von Jawlensky, which Lichtenstein encountered at the Pasadena Art Museum in 1968. The series comprises five prints alongside related sculptural works, exploring the transformation of the human profile into a simplified, graphic form. Drawing on influences from modernism, Cubism, and industrial design, Lichtenstein reduces the head to bold contours, flat colour, and precise geometry, reflecting his ongoing interest in the visual language of modernity and mechanical reproduction.
Produced in collaboration with Gemini G.E.L., the prints demonstrate Lichtenstein’s increasing engagement with industrial materials and processes, including engraved anodised aluminium and embossed graphite, which create a distinctive machined aesthetic. The series reflects his fascination with the relationship between the human figure and the machine, echoing themes from his practice since the early 1960s.
