Focus on this artwork and analyze the Background.
The painting is based on a panel illustrated by Tony Abruzzo in the comic book series Girls' Romances #78, dated September 1961 and published by Signal Publishing Corp. (the romance comic imprint of DC Comics). The painting was part of Lichtenstein's second solo exhibition at Leo Castelli Gallery from September 28 to October 24, 1963 that included Drowning Girl, Torpedo...Los!, Baseball Manager, Conversation, and Whaam! Marketing materials for the show included the lithograph artwork, Crak!The smaller version, which was the original version, from the estate of Roy Lichtenstein and consigned by his son Mitchell Lichtenstein, was sold in 2005. On November 8, 2005, it surpassed the previous Lichtenstein work record auction price of $7.1 million set when Happy Tears sold three years earlier (November 13, 2002). In the Car sold for $16.2 million at Christie's auction house in New York City. In November 2010, this figure was surpassed when Ohhh...Alright... was sold for a record US $42.6 million (£26.7 million), also at Christie's in New York. The hammer price was $38 million.
comic book Baseball Manager Mitchell Lichtenstein lithograph DC Comics Roy Lichtenstein Christie's hammer price Signal Publishing Corp. Crak! Ohhh...Alright... Happy Tears Torpedo...Los! Drowning Girl Whaam! Girls' Romances