Roy Fox Lichtenstein (/ˈlɪktənˌstaɪn/ LIK-tən-STYN; October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was an American pop artist. He rose to prominence in the 1960s through pieces which were inspired by popular advertising and the comic book style. Much of his work explores the relationship between fine art, advertising, and consumerism.

Whaam!, Drowning Girl, and Look Mickey proved to be Lichtenstein's most influential works. His most expensive piece is Masterpiece, which was sold for $165 million in 2017.

Lichtenstein's paintings were exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City, which represented him from 1961 onwards. His artwork was considered to be "disruptive". Lichtenstein described pop art as "not 'American' painting but actually industrial painting".

Lichtenstein was born on October 27, 1923, into an upper middle class German-Jewish family in New York City. His father, Milton, was a real estate broker, and his mother, Beatrice (née Werner), a homemaker. Lichtenstein was raised on New York City's Upper West Side and attended public school until he was 12. Lichtenstein then attended New York's Dwight School, graduating in 1940. He first became interested in art and design as a hobby, through school. Lichtenstein was an avid jazz fan, often attending concerts at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. He frequently drew portraits of the musicians playing their instruments. In 1939, his last year of high school, Lichtenstein enrolled in summer classes at the Art Students League of New York, where he worked under the tutelage of Reginald Marsh.

Lichtenstein then left New York to study at Ohio State University, which offered studio courses and a degree in fine arts. His studies were interrupted by a three-year stint in the Army during and after World War II between 1943 and 1946. After being in training programs for languages, engineering in the Army Specialized Training Program, and pilot training, all of which were cancelled, Lichtenstein served as an orderly, draftsman, and artist.

Lichtenstein returned home to visit his dying father and was discharged from the Army with eligibility for the G.I. Bill. Lichtenstein returned to studies in Ohio under the supervision of one of his teachers, Hoyt L. Sherman, who is widely regarded to have had a significant impact on his future work (Lichtenstein would later name a new studio he funded at OSU as the Hoyt L. Sherman Studio Art Center).

Lichtenstein entered the graduate program at Ohio State and was hired as an art instructor, a post he held on and off for the next ten years. In 1949, Lichtenstein earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Ohio State University.

In 1951, Lichtenstein had his first solo exhibition at the Carlebach Gallery in New York. He moved to Cleveland that same year, where he remained for six years, although Lichtenstein frequently traveled back to New York. During this time, he undertook jobs as varied as a draftsman to a window decorator in between periods of painting. Lichtenstein's work at this time fluctuated between Cubism and Expressionism. In 1954, his first son, David Hoyt Lichtenstein, now a songwriter, was born. His second son, Mitchell Lichtenstein, was born two years later.