James Rosenquist September 28, 2005

James Rosenquist is world renowned for his large-scale paintings that combine images from advertising and mass media with vibrant color and abstraction. Rosenquist studied art at the University of Minnesota, and at the Art Students League in New York City. In the 1950s, he painted billboards to make money. In the 1960s, Rosenquist was included in several group exhibitions which established pop art as a movement. Rosenquist achieved international acclaim with his monumental painting F-111 (1964?65), often considered one of his most important works, which was first shown in 1965 at the Leo Castelli Gallery. His work has been exhibited widely in the United States, Canada, and Europe since 1968. The most recent touring exhibition of his work, James Rosenquist: A Retrospective, was organized by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2003.

The Clarice Smith Distinguished Lectures in American Art, organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, are a forum for engaging the public in the creative experience and a discussion of what American art is today. Each year, the series offers new insights and perspectives by an artist, a critic, and a scholar. This annual series is made possible by the generosity of Clarice Smith. For information, please email [email protected] or visit the museum's Web site, www.AmericanArt.si.edu.