A leader of the Pop art movement, Tom Wesselmann (1931-2004) masterfully conflated the traditional genres of the nude, the still life, interiors, and landscapes with the visual lexicon of contemporary America. Moving away from Abstract Expressionism, his goal was “to make figurative art as exciting as abstract art,” dexterously conjoining art history with the everyday ephemera of consumer culture in dynamic, monumental, and often erotic works. Though Wesselmann eschewed the label “Pop artist,” asserting that he made an aesthetic use of everyday objects and not a cultural critique or celebration of consumerism, his use of recognizable everyday items, bold colors, billboard-size imagery, and mixed media collage put him in direct conversation with other painters of the movement.

Wesselmann was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied psychology at the University of Cincinnati, but before completing his degree was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1952. While in the Army, he began to draw cartoons about his experiences. After completing his degree, Wesselmann worked as a cartoonist for men’s magazines, and, after finding some success, he moved to New York and was accepted to study at Cooper Union, where he developed an interest in fine art. He became particularly inspired by Willem de Kooning, but, in a departure from abstract color field and action painting, Wesselmann instead chose to work with art historically entrenched themes—still lifes, nudes, and landscapes.

“When I made the decision in 1959 that I was not going to be an abstract painter; that I was going to be a representational painter...I only got started by doing the opposite of everything I loved. And in choosing representational painting, I decided to do, as my subject matter, the history of art: I would do nudes, still-lifes, landscapes, interiors, portraits, etc...”

He began making small-scale collages out of found materials, creating figures, interiors, and still lifes rich with art historical references.  In 1961, he began his “Little Great American Nudes,” collages which led directly to his monumental “Great American Nudes,” a series for which he gained international renown.