Mel Ramos

Mel Ramos is a California artist, who received his first important recognition in the early 1960's. Along with other artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg and James Rosenquist, Ramos produced art works that celebrated aspects of popular culture as represented in mass media.

Highly influenced by his teacher, Wayne Thiebaud,  he developed a specific kind of Pop Art iconography by combining nude pin-up girls from American magazines and advertisements with branded products. His art is critical and an ironic reaction to the cliches conveyed by advertising in the media.

In 1967 he has an important exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which lead to numerous exhibitions in the USA and Europe. In 1972, and was represented at the Pop Art exhibition at the Whitney Museum, New York.