Tom Wesselmann
Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. is pleased to present three exceptional works by Tom Wesselmann from his celebrated Great American Nude series: Little Nude (I.C.A. 6), 1966; Nude Collage, 1970; and Open Ended Nude #81, 1977. Together, these works span more than a decade of Wesselmann’s engagement with the female nude and exemplify the evolution of one of the most important visual languages of American Pop art.
ICONIC TOM WESSELMANN: GREAT AMERICAN NUDES
Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. is pleased to present three exceptional works by Tom Wesselmann from his celebrated Great American Nude series: Little Nude (I.C.A. 6), 1966; Nude Collage, 1970; and Open Ended Nude #81, 1977. Together, these works span more than a decade of Wesselmann’s engagement with the female nude and exemplify the evolution of one of the most important visual languages of American Pop art.
Wesselmann’s Great American Nudes consciously reference the art-historical tradition of the reclining female nude, drawing a direct lineage from Titian and Ingres to Matisse. Like Matisse’s odalisques, Wesselmann’s figures assert confidence, sensuality, and scale, while reimagining the nude through the bold, graphic immediacy of Pop.
Each of the compositions in the Great American Nude series was modeled by Claire Selley, whose beauty and sexuality played a formative role in Wesselmann’s personal and artistic awakening. Claire—who later became Mrs. Tom Wesselmann—is not presented as a portrait subject, but as an archetype. Her form embodies a modern ideal of feminine power and erotic presence, rendered with the authority traditionally reserved for canonical art history.
To avoid portraiture and preserve universality, Wesselmann deliberately left the faces blank, allowing the body itself to become the primary expressive vehicle. Isolated, punchy outlines of lips and breasts function as defining motifs, heightening the erotic charge while leaving meaning open to the viewer’s imagination—an approach that epitomizes Pop art’s embrace of subjectivity and visual impact.
The title Great American Nude itself reflects the aspirational optimism of postwar America, echoing cultural constructs such as The Great American Novel and The American Dream. In works such as Little Nude (I.C.A. 6), Nude Collage, and Open Ended Nude #81, Wesselmann transforms the nude into a distinctly American symbol: bold, confident, and unapologetically contemporary.
As one of the defining figures of American Pop art, Tom Wesselmann occupies a central position in postwar art history. His work bridges abstraction and representation, fusing saturated color, graphic clarity, and the visual language of advertising with the timeless subject of the female form. Works from the Great American Nude series are held in major museum collections worldwide and remain among the artist’s most sought-after works.
Acquiring Little Nude (I.C.A. 6), 1966; Nude Collage, 1970; or Open Ended Nude #81, 1977 offers collectors the opportunity to secure not only a visually commanding work, but also a cornerstone of Pop art history. These works continue to demonstrate strong institutional demand, enduring cultural relevance, and sustained market strength, making them exceptional additions to both distinguished private collections and serious investment portfolios.
