Human beings who look like machines...

"Modern Head" by Roy Lichtenstein, outside the American Art Museum

We stumbled upon this giant blue statue when passing by the American Art Museum in Washington D.C.  The first thing I thought of when I saw it was a head. And indeed, this statue is called “Modern Head.” It belongs to Roy Lichtenstein, a renowned American pop artist, famous for his bright comic-book stylings. “Modern Head” is part of the artist's series of human figures resembling machines. The sculpture is 31 foot tall and weights 13,000 pound. It was seen at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Fl, and was previously installed in Battery Park City, one block from the World Trade Center in New York. "Modern Head" survived the 9/11 attacks and was acquired by the American Art Museum in 2008. It is a major figure in the pop art movement, experts say. The idea of creating images of human beings that look like machines pervaded Lichtenstein’s work throughout his career (he died in 1997).

In fact, the National Galley of Art in D.C. has the largest repository of Lichtenstein's work. So, if you liked the “Modern Head,” you should definitely check out Lichtenstein’s exhibits there when in D.C.

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