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Exhibition

Richard Hamilton

New Work
February 22–May 5, 1996

One of the founders of the Pop art movement in the United Kingdom, Richard Hamilton has been an influential figure in British art for more than 40 years. This installment of the New Work series marks the U.S. debut of 11 large-scale canvases that showcase the artist’s ongoing experimentation with a new medium and technology: the Quantel Paintbox. Hamilton creates “virtual” interiors by electronically superimposing photographic images on one another and printing the combined images on canvas. In addition to engaging with new art-making processes, Hamilton evokes the poetic theme of memory — even, in one work based on vintage film stills, the gothic preoccupation with ghosts. The multiplicity of visual layers and meanings in these canvases reflects the artist’s spirited exploration of the fine line between what is real and what is synthesized, the tension between public and private spaces, and the power of memory.

Learn more about the New Work series.

Richard Hamilton: New Work is made possible through the support of SFMOMA’s Collectors Forum.