Known as the founder of Pop Art, Richard Hamilton made collages and paintings inspired by glossy magazine ads. Interior with Monochromes is a print based on a collage, showing a deconstructed view of an interior. On a sheet of white paper, Hamilton lined up three black and white photographs of different rooms. The photographs take the spectator’s eye from floor to ceiling in three shots. One image features a table with a bottle of Beefeater gin and two bottles of Schweppes tonic, key components of the artist’s favourite drink. Gin and tonic was part of the ritual handing over of the print’s proof: after the whole edition had been printed and signed, Hamilton would mix gin and tonics, light up a cigar and ceremoniously hand over the printer’s proof.
RICHARD HAMILTON
Collotype and screenprint in colours, on Ivorex paper
49.8 x 70cm
Acquired in 2014
