Pop go the museums, thanks to BofA

Bank of America is sponsoring an important exhibition of a major American artist, so start making plans -- if you're headed to  Chicago, Washington, London or Paris. 


Museums in the four cities have hooked a big one in "Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective." It's the first major show to spotlight the Father of Pop Art since his death in 1997, and it includes more than 130 of his paintings and sculptures -- including "Look Mickey," which is sometimes dubbed the first Pop painting. (Image from the National Gallery of Art)  


Lichtenstein's cheery primary colors are lighting up the Art Institute of Chicago through Sept. 3. The show will be at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the closest it comes to BofA's hometown, from Oct. 14 to Jan. 13. It then moves on the Tate Modern in London and the Pompidou Center in Paris -- hence the bank's billing as global sponsor. 


With the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art spurring interest in Lichtenstein's fellow Pop star, Andy Warhol, and that era, I imagine there are plenty of Charlotte art lovers who'd like to see the show. For those who can't, the Bechtler at least offers a  consolation prize in the form of  Lichtenstein tapestry on display on its third floor. 


Obviously, BofA is making its name in the big-city arts world. Last winter, it was the main sponsor of "Picasso to Warhol" at the High Museum of Art, which brought Atlanta a host of works from New York's Museum of Modern Art. It's the global sponsor of the Chicago Symphony and the season sponsor of the Boston Symphony's summer festival, Tanglewood. 


Here in Charlotte, BofA provided one of the shows that opened the Mint Museum Uptown: "New Visions: Contemporary Masterworks from the Bank of America Collection." It ran from October 2010 to April 2011.