Roy Lichtenstein’s Market Is on Fire. Here Comes a Whitney Show With Mega Loans
The Whitney Museum of American Art will open “Roy Lichtenstein: Like New” on October 11, 2026, after delaying the exhibition originally planned for 2023 as part of centennial celebrations that included the U.S. Postal Service issuing “Forever” stamps featuring five Lichtenstein paintings. After Dorothy Lichtenstein—widow of Roy Lichtenstein and president of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation—died in 2024 at age 84, the couple’s two sons sent many works to auction, which foundation executive director Jack Cowart said was driven by estate-tax needs. Despite fears that a surge of supply would depress prices, Lichtenstein’s auction market strengthened: as the number of works sold hit a record in 2025, annual auction sales rose to $172 million and the average price per lot nearly doubled, according to the Artnet Price Database. The Whitney show, organized by curator Meg Onli and artist Alex Da Corte, will bring together about 130 works spanning five decades, shortly before major New York auctions in November 2026.
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This story was covered in Markets Ablaze, Museums Under Fire