“Roy Lichtenstein: Greene Street Mural”

Decades before it became a asset for global oligarchs needing a place to stash their money for a rainy day, contemporary art was a serious pursuit, one synonymous with the New York art world. The New York art word, in turn, was synonymous with the legendary Leo Castelli Gallery , which represented just about very major artists of the postwar era. One of them, Pop-Art maestro Roy Lichtenstein, created an 18-by-96-foot wall mural in 1983 for Castelli’s cavernous space at 142 Greene Street in Soho. Now, more than 30 years on, Gagosian Gallery—which, minus Leo's innovative spirit, occupies the same place in the art-world eco-system he once held—presents this full scale replica of Lichtenstein’s piece. Though a copy, it still conveys the wow factor of the original.