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Top 30 Most Influential Pop Art Artists

Pop art is a visual art movement that emerged in the United Kingdom and the United States in the mid-1950s. The movement challenged the traditional boundaries between fine art and commercial art by using imagery from popular culture, such as advertising, comic books, and product packaging. Pop artists often used bold colors, simple forms, and mass-production techniques to create their work.

Pop art was a reaction against the abstract expressionism movement, which had dominated the art world in the early 1950s. Pop artists wanted to create art that was relevant to everyday life and that spoke to the masses. They used imagery from popular culture to reflect the changing social and cultural landscape of the time.

Some of the most famous pop artists include Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg, and Keith Haring. These artists are all known for their iconic works of art, which continue to be exhibited and admired around the world today.

1. Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

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Andy Warhol was an American visual artist, film director, producer, and leading figure in the pop art movement. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture that flourished by the 1960s, and span a variety of media, including painting, silkscreening, photography, film, and sculpture.

Warhol is best known for his silkscreen paintings of mass-produced images, such as Campbell’s soup cans, Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis Presley. He also created a number of films, including Sleep (1963), Empire (1964), and Chelsea Girls (1966).

Warhol’s work was often controversial, but it was also highly influential. He helped to blur the lines between high art and low art, and he brought pop culture into the realm of fine art.

2. Keith Haring (1958-1990)

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Keith Haring was an American artist and activist whose work responded to the social and political issues of his time, including AIDS, homosexuality, and crack cocaine addiction. His bold, graphic style was instantly recognizable, and his work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.

Haring was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1958. He studied art at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and he began exhibiting his work in the early 1980s. He quickly gained a following for his subway drawings, which he created using chalk on black paper. Haring’s subway drawings were often political or social commentary, and they often featured his signature characters, such as the barking dog, the radiant baby, and the dancing man.

In addition to his subway drawings, Haring created a wide range of other work, including paintings, sculptures, murals, and prints. He also collaborated with other artists and musicians, including Andy Warhol, Madonna, and David Bowie.

3. Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)

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Roy Lichtenstein was an American pop artist who is best known for his large-scale paintings and sculptures that depict comic book characters, advertising images, and other mass-produced objects. Lichtenstein’s work is characterized by its bold lines, bright colors, and Ben-Day dots, which are the small dots that are used to create color gradients in comic books and newspapers. 

Lichtenstein was born in New York City in 1923. He studied art at Ohio State University and Columbia University. In the early 1960s, he began to create paintings of comic book characters, such as Drowning Girl, Whaam!, and M-Maybe. Lichtenstein’s comic book paintings were controversial at the time, but they are now considered to be some of the most iconic works of pop art.

In the late 1960s, Lichtenstein began to expand his subject matter to include advertising images, consumer products, and other aspects of American culture. He also began to create sculptures, such as Brushstroke and As I Opened Fire.

4. Richard Hamilton (1922-2011)

Richard Hamilton was a British painter and collage artist. He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of pop art. Hamilton’s work is characterized by its use of popular culture imagery, such as advertisements, comic books, and product packaging. He often used his work to explore the relationship between art and consumerism, as well as the nature of mass media.

Hamilton was born in London in 1922. He studied art at the Royal Academy Schools and the Slade School of Fine Art. In the early 1950s, he began to create collages and paintings that incorporated popular culture imagery. His 1956 collage Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing? is considered to be one of the first works of pop art.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Hamilton continued to create collages and paintings, as well as sculptures and prints. He also worked on a number of film and television projects. In the 1980s and 1990s, Hamilton’s work began to focus on the relationship between art and technology. He created a number of works that incorporated digital imagery and other new technologies.

5. Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008)

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Robert Rauschenberg was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker who is considered to be one of the most important artists of the 20th century. He is best known for his Combines, which are large-scale works of art that incorporate a wide variety of materials, including everyday objects, found objects, and images from popular culture. Rauschenberg’s work is characterized by its innovation, its eclecticism, and its challenge to traditional notions of what constitutes art.

Rauschenberg was born in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1925. He studied art at the Kansas City Art Institute, the Art Students League of New York, and Black Mountain College. In the early 1950s, he began to create his Combines, which were inspired by the work of Marcel Duchamp and other avant-garde artists.

Rauschenberg also created a wide range of other work, including paintings, sculptures, prints, and performances. He collaborated with a number of other artists, including Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, and Merce Cunningham. Rauschenberg’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.

6. Jasper Johns (born 1930)

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Jasper Johns is an American painter, sculptor, draftsman, and printmaker whose work is associated with abstract expressionism, Neo-Dada, and pop art. He is well known for his depictions of the American flag and other common objects and signs, such as targets, maps, letters, and numbers. At multiple points in his career, his work has held the title of highest known price paid for an artwork by a living artist.

Johns was born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1930. He studied art at the University of South Carolina at Columbia, but dropped out after three semesters. In 1948, he moved to New York City, where he studied at the Parsons School of Design and the Art Students League. He served in the Army during the Korean War, and after returning to New York in 1953, he began to produce the paintings and sculptures that would make him famous.

7. Claes Oldenburg (born 1929)

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Claes Oldenburg is a Swedish-born American sculptor best known for his colossal public art installations, typically featuring large replicas of everyday objects. Another theme in his work is soft sculpture versions of everyday objects. Many of his works were made in collaboration with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen, who died in 2009; they had been married for 32 years.

Oldenburg was born in Stockholm in 1929. He studied art at Yale University and the Art Institute of Chicago. In the early 1960s, he began to create soft sculptures of everyday objects, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream cones. These sculptures were often made of canvas and stuffed with materials such as foam rubber and kapok. They were often humorous and playful, but they also challenged traditional notions of what constituted art.

In the late 1960s, Oldenburg began to create large-scale public art installations. His most famous work is Clothespin (1976), a 45-foot-tall clothespin located in Center City, Philadelphia. Other notable works include Spoonbridge and Cherry (1985) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Typewriter Eraser, Enlarged (1991) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

8. Mimmo Rotella (1918-2006)

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Mimmo Rotella was an Italian artist known for his décollage, a technique that involves tearing away parts of posters from walls. His work is often seen as a critique of mass culture and consumerism.

Rotella was born in Catanzaro, Italy, in 1918. He studied art at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma and the Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli. In the early 1950s, he began to create collages by tearing away parts of posters from walls. He called this technique décollage, which is French for “to tear off.”

Rotella’s décollages are often characterized by their use of bright, bold colors and images from popular culture. They are often seen as a critique of mass culture and consumerism, as they highlight the ephemeral nature of these images.

9. Jacques Villeglé (1926-2022)

Jacques Villeglé was a French artist who is best known for his déchirées lacérées (torn-off torn posters). He was a pioneer of the Nouveau Réalisme movement, which emerged in France in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Nouveau Réalisme artists were interested in using everyday objects and materials in their work, and they often challenged traditional notions of what constitutes art.

Villeglé began creating déchirées lacérées in the early 1950s. He would collect posters from the streets of Paris and tear them away from the walls, leaving behind the torn and weathered fragments. He would then assemble these fragments into new compositions, which he often mounted on canvas or wood.

Villeglé’s déchirées lacérées are characterized by their use of bold colors, textures, and subject matter. He often used images from popular culture, such as advertisements, movie posters, and comic books.

10. Eduardo Paolozzi (1923-2005)

Eduardo Paolozzi was a Scottish artist and sculptor who is best known for his work in the Pop Art movement. He was a pioneer of the movement, and his work is characterized by its use of popular culture imagery and its exploration of the relationship between art and technology.

Paolozzi was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1923. He studied at the Edinburgh College of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art in London. After graduating, he traveled extensively in Europe, where he was influenced by the work of artists such as Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

In the early 1950s, Paolozzi began to create collages and sculptures that incorporated popular culture imagery, such as advertisements, comic books, and product packaging. He was one of the first artists to use these types of images in his work, and his work helped to define the Pop Art movement.

11. Robert Indiana (1928-2018)

Robert Indiana was an American artist associated with the pop art movement. He is best known for his iconic LOVE image, which has been reproduced and reinterpreted countless times since it was first created in 1964.

Indiana’s work is characterized by its bold colors, simple shapes, and often cryptic messages. He was interested in the power of language and symbols to convey complex ideas, and his work often explores themes of love, hope, and the American dream.

In addition to his LOVE image, Indiana also created a number of other notable works, including the EAT sculpture, the HOPE mural, and the Hard-Edge paintings. His work is featured in major museum collections around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Tate Modern.

12. Billy Apple (1935-2021)

Billy Apple was a New Zealand artist who worked in a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, and performance art. He was associated with the Pop Art and Conceptual Art movements, and his work often explored themes of identity, consumerism, and the nature of art.

Apple was born Barrie Bates in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1935. He studied graphic design at the Royal College of Art in London, where he was influenced by the Pop Art movement. In 1962, he moved to New York City, where he became a key figure in the city’s emerging Conceptual Art scene.

Apple’s early work often involved the appropriation of everyday objects and symbols. In his famous 1966 work “Apple Core,” he simply signed his name on the core of an apple and declared it to be a work of art. This gesture challenged traditional notions of art and authorship, and it helped to establish Apple as a leading figure in the Conceptual Art movement. 

13. Alex Katz (born 1927)

Alex Katz is an American figurative artist known for his paintings, sculptures, and prints. His work is characterized by its bold colors, simple shapes, and often flat planes of color. Katz is often associated with the Pop Art movement, but he has rejected this label, preferring to see himself as a realist painter.

Katz was born in Brooklyn, New York, and studied at the Cooper Union and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. He began painting in the late 1940s, and his early work was influenced by Abstract Expressionism. However, by the late 1950s, Katz had turned away from abstraction and towards a more figurative style.

Katz’s paintings often depict friends, family, and other people from his everyday life. He is known for his large-scale portraits, which are often painted in a single session. Katz’s work is also characterized by its use of bright colors and simple shapes. Katz’s work has been exhibited in major museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Tate Modern. He is considered to be one of the most important American artists of his generation.

14. Yayoi Kusama (born 1929)

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Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation art, and is also active in painting, performance, video art, fashion, poetry, fiction, and other arts.

Kusama’s work is known for its use of repetitive patterns, bright colors, and organic forms. She is often described as a “Pop Surrealist” because her work combines elements of Pop Art and Surrealism. Her work often explores themes of obsession, identity, and the female body. She is known for her use of polka dots, which she sees as a way to represent the infinite and the interconnectedness of all things.

Kusama has had a major influence on contemporary art. Her work has been exhibited in major museums around the world, and she has been the subject of numerous retrospectives. She is considered to be one of the most important living artists.

15. Jim Dine (born 1935)

Jim Dine is an American artist whose work encompasses painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and photography. He is known for his bold imagery and his use of everyday objects, such as tools, bathrobes, and hearts.

Dine’s early work was influenced by the Neo-Dada and Pop Art movements. He was one of the first artists to incorporate found objects into his work, and he was also known for his Happenings, which were performance art events that often involved audience participation. 

Dine’s work has been exhibited in major museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Tate Modern in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. He is considered to be one of the most important American artists of his generation.

16. John McHale (1922-1978)

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John McHale was a British artist, art theorist, sociologist and future studies researcher. He was a member of the Independent Group, a British movement (Institute of Contemporary Arts, London) that originated pop art which grew out of an interest in American mass culture and post–World War II technologies.

McHale’s work is characterized by its use of collage, assemblage, and mixed media. He often incorporated images from popular culture, such as advertisements and magazines, into his work. He was also interested in the relationship between technology and society, and his work often explores themes such as automation, consumerism, and the future of work.

One of McHale’s most famous works is his 1962 collage “Furhead.” This collage features a human figure with a furry head and a body made up of mechanical parts. 

17. Lawrence Alloway (1926-1990)

Lawrence Alloway was an English art critic and curator who is credited with coining the term “Pop Art” in 1957. He was a leading figure in the Pop Art movement, and he played a key role in promoting the work of Pop artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jasper Johns.

Alloway was born in Wimbledon, England, in 1926. He studied art history at the University of London, but he did not receive a degree. In 1957, Alloway organized the exhibition “The Popular Image” at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. This exhibition is considered to be the first major exhibition of Pop Art. Alloway also wrote a number of important essays on Pop Art, including “The Arts and the Mass Media” (1958) and “Pop Art” (1962).

In 1961, Alloway moved to New York City to become a curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. He organized a number of important exhibitions at the Guggenheim, including “Robert Rauschenberg” (1963), “Six Painters and the Object” (1963), and “Pop Art” (1966).

There is no doubt that Alloway played a major role in the development of Pop Art. He was one of the first people to recognize the significance of popular culture in contemporary art, and he helped to legitimize the work of Pop artists.

18. Patrick Caulfield (1936-2005)

Patrick Caulfield was a British painter and printmaker known for his bold, graphic canvases. His work is often characterized by its flat planes of color, simple shapes, and everyday subject matter. Caulfield was one of the leading figures in the Pop Art movement in Britain, but he also drew inspiration from other sources, such as Cubism and Fauvism.

Caulfield’s paintings often depict everyday objects, such as furniture, plants, and food. He was interested in the way that these objects could be transformed into art through the use of color, shape, and composition. His work is often playful and humorous, but it can also be serious and contemplative.

Caulfield’s work was exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world. He was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1987 and was elected a Royal Academician in 1993. He died in 2005 at the age of 69.

19. Allen Jones (born 1937)

Allen Jones is a British Pop artist known for his provocative and often erotic sculptures and paintings of women. His work is characterized by its bold use of color, its exaggerated proportions, and it’s often fetishistic imagery. Jones was one of the leading figures in the Pop Art movement in Britain, and his work has been exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world.

Jones’s work is also notable for its use of humor and irony. He frequently depicts women in situations that are both comical and disturbing. For example, his sculpture “Table” (1969) depicts a woman on all fours supporting a glass tabletop on her back. The sculpture is both humorous and grotesque, and it raises questions about the role of women in society.

20. Eduardo Arroyo (1937-2018)

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Eduardo Arroyo was a Spanish painter, sculptor, and graphic artist. He was born in Madrid, Spain, and studied journalism at the University of Madrid. In 1958, he moved to Paris, where he began to focus on painting.

Arroyo’s early work often depicted scenes of political violence and oppression. He was a vocal critic of the Franco regime, and his work was often censored in Spain. In 1974, he was expelled from Spain after being arrested for his political activities.

Arroyo’s work is held in the collections of major museums and galleries around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Tate Modern in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. He is considered to be one of the most important Spanish artists of the 20th century.

21. Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 – 1988) 

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Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent. He was a key figure in the Neo-expressionist movement of the 1980s. Basquiat’s work was characterized by its use of graffiti-like text, symbols, and imagery that explored themes of race, identity, and consumerism.

Basquiat was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Haitian father and a Puerto Rican mother. He began drawing and painting as a child, and he was heavily influenced by hip hop culture and graffiti art. In the early 1980s, Basquiat began exhibiting his work in galleries and museums, and he quickly became one of the most popular and controversial artists of his generation.

Basquiat’s work is often raw and visceral, and it challenges viewers to confront difficult topics such as racism, poverty, and violence. He was also a master of satire and humor, and his work often incorporates elements of pop culture and popular art.

22. Edward Ruscha (1937)

Edward Ruscha is an American artist who works in a variety of mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, and printmaking. He is best known for his images of popular culture and the American West.

Ruscha was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He studied at the Chouinard Art Institute (now the California Institute of the Arts) in Los Angeles, where he was influenced by the Pop Art movement. Ruscha’s work is often characterized by its dry humor and its coolly detached observation of American culture. He is also known for his use of bright colors and bold graphics.

Ruscha’s work is held in the collections of major museums and galleries around the world. He is considered to be one of the most important American artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

23. David Hockney (born 1937)

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David Hockney is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.

Hockney is known for his bold use of color and his eclectic subject matter, which has ranged from portraits of friends and family to landscapes and still lifes. He is also a pioneer of digital art, and his recent work has explored the possibilities of new technologies such as the iPad and iPhone.

Hockney’s work is held in the collections of major museums and galleries around the world, including the Tate Modern in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. He has been awarded numerous prizes and honors, including the Order of Merit in 1995 and the Companion of Honour in 2012.

24. César (1921-1998)

César was a French sculptor, born in Marseille, France, to Italian parents. He is best known for his Compressions, which are crushed objects made of metal, plastic, and other materials. César was a pioneer of the Nouveau Réalisme movement, which emerged in France in the late 1950s. Nouveau Réalisme artists were interested in using everyday objects and materials in their work, and they often depicted scenes from contemporary life.

César’s Compressions are some of the most iconic works of Nouveau Réalisme. He used a hydraulic press to crush objects such as cars, motorcycles, and furniture. The resulting sculptures are often twisted and distorted, but they also have a certain beauty and elegance.

César’s work also includes Expansions, which are sculptures made of polyurethane foam. These sculptures are often large and colorful, and they contrast sharply with the Compressions. 

25. Arman (1928-2005)

Arman was a French-American artist who is best known for his Accumulations, which are sculptures made of mass-produced objects. Arman was a pioneer of the Nouveau Réalisme movement, which emerged in France in the late 1950s. Nouveau Réalisme artists were interested in using everyday objects and materials in their work, and they often depicted scenes from contemporary life.

Arman’s Accumulations are made up of objects such as shoes, musical instruments, and weapons. He often used hundreds or even thousands of objects to create a single sculpture. The Accumulations are both playful and thought-provoking. They challenge traditional notions of art and beauty.

26. George Segal (1924-2000)

George Segal was an American sculptor known for his plaster casts of people in everyday situations. His sculptures are often life-size and realistic, and they often depict people engaged in mundane activities such as sitting, walking, or talking.

Segal’s work is often seen as a reflection of the American experience. He was interested in depicting the everyday lives of ordinary people, and his sculptures often have a sense of humor and humanity. Segal’s work is also notable for its use of space. He often placed his sculptures in outdoor settings, where they interacted with their surroundings in a natural way.

Segal’s work is held in the collections of major museums and galleries around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Tate Modern in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. 

27. Peter Saul (born 1934) 

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Peter Saul is an American painter known for his satirical and often grotesque paintings that explore themes of violence, politics, and popular culture. He is considered to be one of the leading figures in the Pop Art movement.

Saul was born in San Francisco, California, in 1934. He studied at the California School of Fine Arts and Washington University in St. Louis. After graduating, he moved to Europe, where he lived for several years. In 1964, he returned to the United States and began teaching at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Saul’s early work was influenced by Abstract Expressionism, but he soon began to develop his own unique style. His paintings are often characterized by their bold colors, cartoonish figures, and violent imagery. Saul’s work is often seen as a critique of American society and culture.

28. Jeff Koons (born 1955) 

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Jeff Koons is an American artist known for his sculptures, paintings, and installations that often incorporate kitsch objects and popular culture imagery. He is considered to be one of the leading figures in the Postmodern art movement.

Koons was born in York, Pennsylvania, and studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. After graduating, he moved to New York City, where he began to produce his signature sculptures.

Koons’s sculptures are often made from materials such as stainless steel, porcelain, and mirror. His subject matter often includes everyday objects such as vacuum cleaners, basketballs, and balloon animals. 

Koons’s work has been exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Biennale in 1993.

29. Derek Boshier (born 1937)

Derek Boshier is a British Pop artist who is known for his use of collage, mixed media, and performance. He is considered to be one of the leading figures in the British Pop Art movement.

Boshier’s work often explores themes of consumerism, popular culture, and social commentary. He is known for his use of bright colors, bold imagery, and humor. His work is often both playful and subversive.

Some of Boshier’s most notable works include:

• Falling Men (1963-1967)
• The State of the Nation (1967-1968)
• Spacemen (1968)
• The American Dream (1969)
• The Great British Love Affair (1970)
• The Toy Collection (2023)

Boshier’s work has been exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Turner Prize in 1983.

30. Rosalyn Drexler

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Rosalyn Drexler is an American artist known for her Pop Art paintings, collages, and installations. She is also a novelist and playwright.

Drexler was born in Brooklyn, New York. She studied at Hunter College and the New School for Social Research. In the early 1960s, she began to produce Pop Art paintings that often incorporated images of popular culture, such as celebrities, advertising, and comic books.

Drexler’s paintings are often characterized by their bright colors, bold imagery, and humor. She is known for her use of collage and photomontage. Drexler’s work has been exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world. She has received numerous awards and honors, including the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1965 and the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1973.

Pop Art artists challenged the traditional boundaries of art by using everyday objects and imagery from popular culture in their work. They also often explored themes of consumerism, materialism, and celebrity. Pop Art was a revolutionary movement that had a major impact on the development of contemporary art.

The Top 30 Most Influential Pop Art Artists are a diverse group of artists who came from all over the world. They all made significant contributions to the movement, and their work continues to inspire and challenge viewers today. From Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s Soup Cans to Lichtenstein’s comic book-inspired paintings, Pop Art has become one of the most popular and recognizable art movements of the 20th century