Portraits of the Artists

Five pop masters pop up again in photographs at the Boca Museum

Comments (0) By Michael Mills Thursday, Aug 28 2008

Scale is also inevitably part of the portion of the exhibition that deals with Rosenquist, whose work is typically described as monumental. Like Lichtenstein on the ladder, there's a 1980 image of Rosenquist almost comically overshadowed by his well-known Star Thief painting, which he stands in front of with a broom. Another striking shot alludes to matters of scale by posing the artist with a magnifying glass in front of his face, and there's an amusing shot of the shirtless Rosenquist, paintbrushes in hand, storming the camera like a madman.

Probably because it includes only five photos, the Indiana segment of the show feels almost like a footnote, included only because it establishes the link between Kennedy and Warhol. And while Indiana is hardly a nobody in the scheme of contemporary American art — his famous painting of the word LOVE is supposedly the most reproduced image in pop art — it could also be argued that he ranks a tier below the other artists shown here.

Warhol by Kennedy: The artist, shot through his own silkscreen

Details

"I Shot Warhol Wesselmann Lichtenstein Rosenquist and Indiana," on display through September 7 at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Mizner Park, Boca Raton; 561-392-2500.

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But on the strength of its Warhol section alone, which transports us back to a pivotal moment in American pop art, "I Shot Warhol Wesselmann Lichtenstein Rosenquist and Indiana" transcends any minor quibbles one might have with it. It's one of the most solid small shows so far this year.