New Painting of Common Objects facts for kids
The art show called "New Painting of Common Objects" happened at the Pasadena Art Museum in 1962. It was a very important event because it was the first big museum show in the U.S. to feature pop art. Pop art is a cool style where artists use everyday things like soup cans or comic books in their artwork.
This exhibition showed the work of eight talented American artists. They were Roy Lichtenstein, Jim Dine, Andy Warhol, Phillip Hefferton, Robert Dowd, Edward Ruscha, Joe Goode, and Wayne Thiebaud. A person named Walter Hopps organized the show. He was a big supporter of these artists and had even given Andy Warhol his very first solo art show in Los Angeles the year before. This exhibition helped pop art become more popular and accepted by art critics. It happened just before another famous pop art show at the Guggenheim Museum in 1963.
Meet the Pop Artists
The artists in the "New Painting of Common Objects" show came from many different backgrounds. Each one brought their own unique experiences to the world of pop art.
Diverse Artistic Journeys
For example, Wayne Thiebaud was a teacher at the University of California at Davis. Other artists, like Roy Lichtenstein, Phillip Hefferton, and Robert Dowd, had previously painted in a style called Abstract Expressionism. This style focused on feelings and big, abstract shapes.
Jim Dine was known for his "Happenings" in New York. These were live art events that combined different art forms. Andy Warhol was already a very successful commercial artist. He designed ads and illustrations for a living.
Young Talent in Pop Art
The youngest artists in the group were Edward Ruscha and Joe Goode. They were good friends from high school. Ruscha was 24, and Goode was 25. They had just finished art school and were working odd jobs to support themselves. For instance, Ruscha worked as a layout artist for an advertising company in Los Angeles. These young artists helped shape the future of pop art.
