Like NOAH, pioneering pop artist Tom Wesselmann found beauty in simplicity. Wesselmann, whose works were shown during his lifetime alongside the likes of Andy Warhol, Robert Lichtenstein, and Robert Indiana, passed in 2004, leaving behind a legacy of impressively restrained paintings that reshaped elements of ordinary life and the human form. A penchant for vivid color ensured that even Wesselmann's smaller works made a billboard-sized impression, whether viewed on the gallery floor or atop one of the items that NOAH has cooked up with the Wesselmann estate for its latest seasonal collaboration.
A mixture of early and mid-career works informs this joint effort, with NOAH maximizing summer impact by placing much of the art atop basic T-shirts in bright tones. Co-branding appears on the front or rear of the lineup, but the emphasis is clearly on Wasselmann's works. Specifically, illustrations are drawn from Wasselmann's '60s output that stylizes portions of womens' bodies (Mouth #7, Face #5 1967, Seascape #4 1965) alongside imagery borrowed from later efforts (Bedroom Painting, Monica Sitting with Mondrian (Variation #4)) that incorporate nude torsos and nods to Mondrian, another of Wesselmann's signatures and one of the inspirations for his rich color application.
These saucy designs make for some eye-catching tees and shirts, but there are also some vivacious seasonal pieces well-suited to beachside sprawling. Two plush white towels are finished with Mouth #7 and Monica Sitting with Mondrian (Variation #4), the latter of which also appears on a plastic Tervis tumbler ideal for toting cold beverages to hot locales.
All of the Tom Wesselmann items arrive on NOAH's website, NY flagship store, and stockists like Dover Street Market May 20.
