Where Is Whaam!? See It at Tate Modern, London

Q: Where can I see Whaam!?

The work at Tate Modern in London. It's one of their signature Pop Art holdings The acrylic paint and oil paint on canvas work is part of their permanent collection.

Q: Is this copied from a comic book?

Yes, Lichtenstein adapted it from a 1962 DC Comics panel drawn by Irv Novick for "All-American Men of War."

Q: What are Ben-Day dots?

Ben-Day dots are a printing technique using colored dots to create shading. Lichtenstein painted them by hand to mimic cheap printing.

Q: How big is Whaam!?

The two panels together span 406.4 cm (over 13 feet) wide. The massive scale transforms comic imagery into museum art.

Roy Lichtenstein adapted this two-panel painting from a 1962 DC Comics panel, showing a fighter jet firing a rocket that explodes an enemy plane. The red and yellow explosion dominates the right panel with its comic-book "WHAAM!" The Ben-Day dots and bold outlines mimic cheap printing.

By enlarging commercial imagery to gallery scale, Lichtenstein questioned distinctions between high and low culture. The violence is sanitized through the comic-book style, commenting on how media aestheticizes warfare. At nearly 14 feet wide, the painting transforms disposable entertainment into monumental art.

The work at Tate Modern in London.

The work at Tate Modern in London. It's one of their signature Pop Art holdings The acrylic paint and oil paint on canvas work is part of their permanent collection.

Yes, Lichtenstein adapted it from a 1962 DC Comics panel drawn by Irv Novick for "All-American Men of War."

Ben-Day dots are a printing technique using colored dots to create shading. Lichtenstein painted them by hand to mimic cheap printing.

The two panels together span 406.4 cm (over 13 feet) wide. The massive scale transforms comic imagery into museum art.

Whaam!

Details

Where to See It

The Artist

Also at Tate Modern, London

Mrs George Augustus Frederick Cavendish Bentinck and her Children

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About Whaam!

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