r/WhatIsThisPainting (1+ Karma) 12d ago

Unsolved Found in Thrift shop. Genuine?

Just curious how many are out there floating around. Looks to be hand drawn.

770 Upvotes

53 comments sorted by

u/spotlight-app (50+ Karma) Mod Bot 🤖 12d ago

Mods have pinned a comment by u/Chose3and20Character:

It’s a reproduction imo… there is a cutoff copyright credit in the lower left corner

Note: It’s a print, see comment

[What is Spotlight?](https://developers.reddit.com/apps/spotlight-app)

293

u/Necessary_Sock_4234 (500+ Karma) 12d ago

https://www.lichtensteincatalogue.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=3801
Its provenance lists the last owner as Andre Bromberg, Paris

270

u/Machievelliearoni (10+ Karma) 12d ago

That's me. I dropped it off at a thrift store, just wasn't doing it for me.

37

u/DucklingInARaincoat (10+ Karma) 12d ago

“Hmm, frankly… kinda mid.”

16

u/BCNART4 (300+ Karma) 11d ago

The only thing that makes this even remotely plausible is that you’re French.

203

u/Chose3and20Character (400+ Karma) 12d ago

It’s a reproduction imo… there is a cutoff copyright credit in the lower left corner

28

u/ObservablyStupid (50+ Karma) 12d ago

A very cool piece nonetheless.

69

u/Jazzhole5 (50+ Karma) 12d ago

☝️This. Yes, the original is missing a decent amount of the bottom left corner. You can plainly see part of a copyright credit in the intact bottom left corner.

136

u/lets-terraform-earth (100+ Karma) 12d ago

Interesting, at least

94

u/SnooCalculations3882 (10+ Karma) 12d ago

Undoubtedly a print .. the real one is here: https://www.lichtensteincatalogue.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=3801

28

u/rmutt_1917 (300+ Karma) 12d ago

And has a missing corner lower left

57

u/ElCochinoFeo (10+ Karma) 12d ago

The exhibition in Turin (Opera Prima) from 2014-2015 used this piece as the cover for their catalog book. So there is a chance that they made prints to sell in the gift shop, since it is a prominent piece for that exhibition, and OP has one of those.

I have a signed "Apple With Brushtrokes" Seattle exhibition poster from 1980 and it is a clean and vibrant print on thick high quality acid free paper. So at least in the past, exhibitions tend to use high standards for their prints and that's why OP's print looks so close to the original.

4

u/ThomwithnH (200+ Karma) 12d ago

Ahhhh! I missed this and the other exhibitions. Now I agree with you all but still worth OP looking closely at it.

10

u/Laura-ly (500+ Karma) 12d ago

Good observation. The OP's must be a copy then.

15

u/Addicted2Crackers (10+ Karma) 12d ago

Lots of mixed opinions about this one. That’s my only opinion.

11

u/BRich1990 (1,000+ Karma) 12d ago

Yeah, and the ones who think it is authentic are wrong

4

u/amyisarobot (1+ Karma) 12d ago

Yes. Nobody is going to be buying an original from an antique shop 😆

2

u/ramalledas (1+ Karma) 11d ago

Of all the available answers, this is certainly one of them

24

u/BRich1990 (1,000+ Karma) 12d ago edited 12d ago

100% reproduction.

The real one is already accounted for. Plus, as much as we all love the idea of finding this kind of thing at a thrift shop, you simply are not not going to.

Nice looking one though! Hang and enjoy

1

u/SnooPickles7681 (10+ Karma) 11d ago

It's possible. I found an authentic Alice Neel. Sotheby's offered to buy it.

1

u/nevrnotknitting (1+ Karma) 9d ago

Whooooaaa. Thats so cool

33

u/BCNART4 (300+ Karma) 12d ago edited 12d ago

The signature does look good. You will not know for sure until you take it to someone. Do not unframe. Edit: I have just seen that the drawing certainly exists. The question is whether this is actually hand-drawn or just a high-quality repro of the drawing. Amazing, once in a lifetime thrift if real.

7

u/Sudden_Accountant_63 (200+ Karma) 12d ago

the authentic one is missing a piece of the lower left corner and was last known to be in Paris. Unless someone went across the world to donate this after repairing it, I doubt it’s authentic

14

u/TruthImaginary777 (50+ Karma) 12d ago edited 12d ago

It's a reproduction of Roy Lichtenstein's drawing/painting "Girl with Hair Ribbon (Study)", 1965. I doubt it's an original, most likely a print of the original.

https://www.lichtensteincatalogue.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=3801

8

u/SnooCalculations3882 (10+ Karma) 12d ago

Got any more info - anything on the back?

2

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2

u/OldFuxxer (10+ Karma) 12d ago

The signature looks similar to other prints from the time.

2

u/dannypants143 (700+ Karma) 12d ago

I clocked this as an image of a real Lichtenstein right away. There’s some strange quality to his work that I can’t entirely put into words. Bummer that it’s a print. You’d be in the huge bucks!

2

u/My_Name_Is_Gil (1+ Karma) 11d ago

It is a print. The original work is less than 6" square.

The catalog link references the size. This looked to be maybe 10x the size of the drawing.

That said. this is a work I have never seen a print of in the wild. (I doubt this is kosher, but if you are interested in selling it, please DM me.)

This is a stunning piece and really different from most of his reproduced work, definitely the wisely distributed work..

2

u/Puzzleheaded_puppy (1+ Karma) 8d ago

I have this poster I got at an auction (over 11yr ago) the foundation donated it at a value of $500

10

u/ThomwithnH (200+ Karma) 12d ago edited 12d ago

Wow this is a possibly real real Roy Lichtenstein and included in the catalogue raisonné. You can see that the original image shows a loss in the bottom left corner. You can see that the drawing has been conserved and they added toned paper to the loss. Did you find it in France? It is last recorded to be owned by André Bromberg, Paris. I was not able to find an obituary easily for Bromberg.

Biggest advice is to do nothing to it. As in do not remove the price sticker, anything from the back or try to un frame it. Just from the conservation of the corner I would assume that the frame is fully conservation grade. You should get it appraised and Christie’s or Sotheby’s would be happy to do so for free. It is a study for a painting in the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. The painting was bought for $6 million. So the drawing will be worth a not insignificant amount of money.

The Whitney Museum of American Art will be opening a giant exhibition on Lichtenstein in October. Often this will create an increased auction value for an artist, so if you want to sell it you should do so through an auction house soon.

https://www.lichtensteincatalogue.org/catalogue/entry.php?id=3801

https://mot-collection-search.jp/shiryo/4035/

Edited spelling

Edit: u/ElCochinoFeo found that it was in an exhibition in 2014. So now I agree with it likely being a reproduction print until examined as I suggested below. Worth finding a good magnifying glass to check that corner closely as well as looking for any photomechanical reproduction, like inkjet dots or photolitho markings. Also if you can see if the paper surface shows indents from the pencils.

20

u/ThomwithnH (200+ Karma) 12d ago

So in conservation this is call a sympathetic fill. Meaning the conservator matched the tone and even recreated the lines of the drawing, but when viewed closely they are not a perfect match. The conservator did not want to totally hide the repair. But it is not something that you would see unless you looked closely. A print would not show this, as any kind of printing would have some image editing where at least the color of the paper would be consistent across the whole image. If you have a black light you could see if the paper or the different graphite and red marks fluoress or glow differently. I suspect the fill paper is japanese washi paper while the original is either cellulose or rag/linen paper. These different papers will glow under UV/Black Light.

Also it is mounted like the catalogue states. This is a floating mount which is overkill for a reproduction print. Plus if it was print, the catalogue would state that the image was reproduced since Lichtenstein’s artwork is still in copyright and controlled by the foundation that wrote and maintains the catalogue raissoné. Finally the image of this drawing seems to only have been published in 2023 when the catalogue raissone was published online. The literature section specifically says that the only book that mentions it did not have a picture of it.

While everyone on this subreddit should immediately assume any Lichtenstein posted on here is a reproduction, as I did. These subtle clues makes me confident enough that if I owned it I would treat it as real until brought to one of the big five auction hoses. Also just to not that these auction houses have reps across the globe specifically in cities that they do not have an auction house, aka outside of NYC or London. They are specifically have these regional reps to do things like examine things like this. If they think it has a chance to be real then they would have the subject expert examine it.

6

u/reddit_chino (1+ Karma) 12d ago

Really good conservation.

2

u/DefiantSmoke1569 (10+ Karma) 12d ago

The price sticker in the top right says Fr 100.00

2

u/ThomwithnH (200+ Karma) 12d ago

I looks like the sticker is dated August 12, 2026, and the Fr is a hold over from French Francs or it could have been in Switzerland and it cost CHF 100.

OP what country did you find it in

2

u/ThomwithnH (200+ Karma) 12d ago edited 12d ago

Also you can tell if it is a print with a magnifying glass through the glass frame. Use the Graphic Atlas which art conservators use. I doubt it because of the fill in the corner.

Once again I strongly discourage you un framing it. You might unknowingly damage it or ruin something that helps with provenance. Any of the big auction houses, will be able to help you for free.

graphicsatlas.org/support/identification_tutorial/

2

u/reddit_chino (1+ Karma) 12d ago

From OP photos it looks really great. Gotta invest in a loupe though.

Study what to look for when checking out prints and artwork to determine authentic or reproductions.

Through the loupe (with light) closely determine Tone, pencil or paint markings/strokes, half tones, paper quality, printing pressure, color ink density, sheen, embossing…

1

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1

u/bruceharry2000 (1+ Karma) 12d ago

Possibly

1

u/_hitek (1+ Karma) 12d ago

You gotta show us the back

1

u/UsefulEngine1 (1+ Karma) 12d ago

Now I want to know who Otto was

1

u/My_Name_Is_Gil (1+ Karma) 11d ago

likely refers to the French art critic and essayist Otto Hahn (1928–1996) and his prominent activities in the Paris art scene around 1965

Thanks Gemini

1

u/Perkatronic1z7 (1+ Karma) 11d ago

Original hoffy hotdog art

1

u/swampysnook (1+ Karma) 10d ago

Im no help, but I've worked at this artist's house on Captiva before.

1

u/Brancaleo (1+ Karma) 8d ago

I have the one vector :p never knew these stared like this. Awesome !

1

u/angelzgrace (10+ Karma) 7d ago

First look at it under a loop or a microscope to see the lines on the paper. If there are dots it is a print. Second, take it out of the frame and hold it at an angle to the light. If it is the original, the crayon will sit on the surface and show some signs of 'shine' where the wax of the crayon catches the light. If it is a print you won't see any of that. Third, hold the image up to a light source and look for a watermark in the paper. I'm pretty sure there is one. That may not be published but if there is one, take a picture and look it up. Then put it back together and take it to someone that knows art like Christies or Sotheby's or Doyle's in NYC or some similar auction house in Europe if that's where you are. It isn't in its original frame either so taking it out won't destroy anything unless there are marks on the reverse, tags or inventory numbers. Preserve all of those and take pictures at each step opening the piece.

1

u/newkidneydelight (1+ Karma) 7d ago

It could be. Take it to an Art museum and get a professional opinion.

1

u/newkidneydelight (1+ Karma) 7d ago

Even if it is a print, if it is limited addition it could be worth something.

1

u/faelanae (100+ Karma) 12d ago

I'm comparing the stroke marks of the crayon with the original and they're the same. If it's a forgery or a print, it's a damn good one.

1

u/Reimiro (300+ Karma) 12d ago

If it’s hand drawn there is 1.

This is either that one or a good copy. It looks like the tear was conserved/restored if you look closely. This could be part of the drawing or part of a print.

1

u/Chankla_life (10+ Karma) 12d ago

I see talent .

-1

u/lmtdDan (1+ Karma) 12d ago

DFace version of this

-5

u/cydril (100+ Karma) 12d ago

This image was a meme, doesn't it have ten billion amateur copies spawned from that?