Mel Ramos
Mel Ramos (1935-2018), born in Sacramento, California, lived and worked in the Bay Area and later in Horta de San Juan, Spain. A prominent figure of American Pop Art, he is best known for his paintings of idealized female nudes and comic-book superheroes. From the 1960s onward, Ramos combined pin-up figures with brightly coloured consumer products and imagery drawn from advertising, creating playful and often ironic compositions that blur the boundaries between fine art, popular culture and commercial imagery. His distinctive visual language is characterized by crisp outlines, saturated colours and a polished, highly graphic aesthetic.
Mel Ramos Editions
Mel Ramos
Señorita Rio
1964
Color lithograph on BFK Rives rag paper, in two parts (as published), 41 x 58 cm overall. From the signed deluxe edition of 100 (there was also an unsigned edition of 2,000).
Mel Ramos’s edition Señorita Rio (1964), created for the landmark print portfolio 1 Cent Life, presents a stylized comic-book heroine in a striking Pop Art composition. Framed within a bold circular field, the glamorous figure points a revolver while a wisp of smoke connects her image to Walasse Ting’s poem America on the facing page. Ramos draws on the visual language of comic books, pin-up imagery and popular culture, combining idealized femininity with the imagery of violence and adventure. The juxtaposition of the seductive heroine and Ting’s text creates an ambivalent portrait of American popular culture, where glamour, fantasy and aggression coexist.
EUR 2,000
Mel Ramos and Robert Indiana
Tiger Girl & Sex Anyone
1964
Set of two color lithographs on BFK Rives rag paper:
Tiger Girl by Mel Ramos and Sex Anyone by Robert Indiana,
both from the group portfolio One Cent Life.
Together 41 x 58 cm. From the signed deluxe edition of 100 (there was also an unsigned edition of 2,000).
Mel Ramos’ Tiger Girl and Robert Indiana’s Sex Anyone (1964), created for the landmark print portfolio 1 Cent Life, bring together two distinct yet complementary approaches to the imagery of American popular culture. Ramos depicts a glamorous pin-up figure against a star-shaped backdrop, combining the visual language of comic books, pulp fiction and advertising. Opposite, Indiana presents an oversized pair of red lips above the bold words “SEX ANYONE,” using typography and a familiar symbol of seduction as the central subject. Placed side by side, the works create a playful dialogue between the idealized female body and the language of desire, while both artists draw on the visual codes of mass media to transform popular imagery into Pop Art.
EUR 3,000
