Mel Ramos is a legend in Pop Art. In 1954, he begins to study at the Sacramento Junior College and at the Art Studio of California State University. By 1958 he had already taken a teaching position at Elk Grove High School and California State University. Firstly Ramos painted famous comic book figures, such as Batman and Superman, who embody a new genre in mass culture. These comic books served as an initial template for his work in the early sixties.
In 1963 Ramos took part in the exhibition "Pop Goes East" with his work of that time at the Contemporary Art Museum in Houston and in 1964 he opened his first solo exhibition in a New York gallery. Ramos became established as a leading representative in Pop Art, alongside well known artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
In the mid sixties Ramos was occupied with the artistic representation of Pin Up girls and the depiction of adverts which used sensual femininity. What should be understood as a parody of the marketing strategy of the advertising industry that used feminine sexual attraction to influence consumer behaviour, later became a central theme of Ramos' work. From then on cola bottles, cigarette packets and cheese pieces with sprawling Pin Up girls dominated his work.
The exhibition shows an extensive cross section of his graphic reproductions as well as some paintings and sculptures, including some of the most famous works of Pop Art.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a documentary by N-TV Art.