ROY LICHTENSTEIN (1923-1997) ASPEN WINTER JAZZ. 1967. 40x26 inches. Condition A. Paper. Using his unique, Pop Art style of enlarged dots, broad outlines, and strong, flat color, Lichtenstein composes an image of a saxophone and its faceless player that acts as a simple yet stylish and powerful advertisement for this jazz festival. Actually "Jazz Festival" may be a bit of an over statement. Starting in 1963, Richard Gibson began holding Jazz Parties in Aspen. A New Yorker who had moved West, Gibson missed the musical vibe of the big city and tried to bring it to the Rocky Mountains. The parties (which were basically organized jam sessions) were a popular success and he continued holding them through 1969. Concurrently, it seems, other people had the same idea. In 1967 John and Kimiko Powers, major modern art collectors and jazz afficionados, organized a "festival" of their own. Eight musicians performed and the event was clearly so popular that the couple organized another event later that same year, for which Rosenquist created the poster. ref: The Prints of Roy Lichtenstein,<> by Mary Lee Corlett, Hudson Hills Press, New York, 1964, no. 44, Image of an Era, the American Poster<>, Smithsonian Institution, 1975, no. 59.
