Whitney Brings Back the Dots with First Big Lichtenstein Survey in 30 Years

Comic-strip dots, tearful blondes and speech bubbles take over New York on Oct. 11, when the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York opens Roy Lichtenstein: Like New.

It is the first major survey in more than thirty years dedicated to Lichtenstein, the American artist the Whitney identifies as a key figure of Pop art, the movement that borrowed images from comics, advertising and product packaging. The exhibition brings together roughly 130 works made from the early 1940s through the 1990s, according to the Whitney press release.

Expect dots. Lots of them.

The checklist reaches from early experiments to late work. It includes Look Mickey (1961), Girl with Ball (1961) and Masterpiece (1962), three large canvases built from thick outlines, flat colour and Ben-Day dots, the printing-style spots Lichtenstein copied by hand.

What makes this stand out for visitors is the range. For fans, this means a chance to see familiar comic images alongside lesser-known drawings, sculpture and works from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s in one place.

A second display looks only at the end of that story. Roy Lichtenstein: 1997 is listed as on view through June 1, 2027, and the Whitney exhibition listing describes it as offering insight into the range of the artist's late experimentation.

The two presentations follow a long relationship between the artist and the museum. In 2018 the Whitney announced a promised gift of more than 400 items connected with the Roy Lichtenstein Study Collection, an archive and holding of work meant to support research.

Members get in first. The Whitney has scheduled Member Mornings for Roy Lichtenstein: Like New on Sunday, October 11, 2026, from 9:30–10:30 am, before general opening hours.