Decorating with pop art makes rooms bright, bold and fun

With the popularity of the hit TV show “Mad Men” bringing back the styles, music and culture of the early 1960s, it was inevitable that there would be a renewed interest in pop art – the art form that is rooted in pop culture and was popularized in the U.S. by the artist Andy Warhol.

Besides his famous Campbell’s soup can, Warhol used bright bold colors in artwork recreating images of movies stars like Marilyn Monroe, obscure personalities, landscapes and other pop culture items. Other famous artists of the period include Tom Wesselmann and Roy Lichthestein and the artwork includes sculptures and other forms.

Decorating with pop-inspired artwork and other modern art is easy but it’s worth giving it some thought to make your home or space reflect the avant garde art form that it is.

The first step is to visit an art shop, gallery or web site to peruse the various artists and styles and determine which you like the best. It’s a good idea to start with one artist or theme so that your display does not look random, scattered or cluttered. Pop art is so bold and beautiful that it needs space to shine and not be crowded or overwhelmed by other bold pieces.

While prints and paintings are the most common pop art pieces, also look for sculptures and free-standing pop recreations and collectibles for tables, shelves and floors. If you like a print but don’t have space for a wall hanging, consider having the print displayed on a pillow, a bed or chair covering or a rug. Finally, if you can’t decide on an artist but love the pop art style, try a store that will “pop art” your own images in bright and bold colors for display as wall hanging and other items.

Because pop art is based on popular culture, it’s great for family rooms, rec rooms and especially children’s rooms. Movie posters of past and current stars, cartoon characters or even pop art pictures of the kids themselves or their pets are wonderful ways to introduce them to the art form.

The bright, bold and neon colors add pizzazz to the drabbest rooms. If you’re using pop art to liven up an area, go for big and few rather than than small and many to let the art stand out. Repetition of patterns is a common style in pop art that can be achieved using one dizzying print of the same scene or many individual frames of the same print.
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Keep the walls behind your art solid, light and complementary to the works so they don’t detract or distract. If your wall space is limited, pop art prints on furniture, pillows and other objects is the way to go. When you use prints on objects or small sculptures and memorabilia, make sure they’re displayed in open areas to showcase their colors.

Because Andy Warhol is so well know for his soup cans and other food art, the kitchen is a fun room to decorate with pop art. With wall space in kitchens often limited, small prints or usable objects work best there. Make sure they’re protected from heat, steam and smoke.

From soup cans to being nuts about Marilyn, decorating with pop art is fun, hip and stylish for those who watch Mad Men and those who actually lived in that period, whether they remember it or not!