Experimenting with pop art, minimalism, precisionism, and even surrealism, Allan D’Arcangelo portrays distinctly American subject matter in his works. Often evoking cautious outlooks on the future of the United States, the artist was most widely known for his use of road signs and pared-down images of highways. His paintings tended to incorporate simplified, flat color planes, and fragmented geometric forms. D’Arcangelo’s use of vernacular imagery motivated by the desire to bring the spiritual significance of art to a more familiar context made him one of the earliest American Pop artists. He received his bachelor’s in history from the University of Buffalo in 1953 and later moved to Manhattan. Exposure to the New York School, Abstract Expressionism in particular, sparked an early interest in art. Next, D’Arcangelo joined the army and used the GI Bill to study painting at Mexico City College, now known as the Universidad de las Américas in Cholula, Puebla). In 1959 he returned to New York where his paintings assumed a cool, removed aesthetic. D’Arcangelo’s work is in the collection of many museums, including the Tate Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

This portfolio of prints demonstrates the depth and breadth of art making in 1976 America. Commissioned for the 1976 celebration of the American Bicentennial, it includes works by James Rosenquist, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, William Bailey, Edward Ruscha, Christo, James Brooks, Costantino Nivola, Velox Ward, Raymond Saunders, Robert Andrew Parker, and Ben Schonzeit.