(ANSA) - Milan, February 25 - A new exhibition of work by US pop art star Roy Lichtenstein has opened in Milan, tracing his development over the decades and his interplay with other artworks. 'Meditations on Art', on display at the Milan Triennale, features over 100 works by Lichtenstein (1923-1997) on loan from key collections around the world. Although best known for his comic book adaptations, Lichtenstein worked in many different styles over the years, engaging with the paintings and techniques of a variety of other artists. The show, which explores Lichtenstein's work thematically, starts with his creations of the 1950s, which are rarely exhibited publicly. These see him looking to the styles of past ages, revisiting medieval iconography and offering his own interpretations of 19th-century American art, including adaptations of specific works, such as 'Washington Crossing the Delaware' by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze and paintings by William Ranney.

Another movement that fascinated Lichtenstein was that of European Abstract art. In this vein, the exhibition includes his explorations of Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso. But as well as examining various eras separately, he also sought to mix them up, producing works that combine the history and culture of America's Far West, with modernist European styles. Lichtenstein's best known works today were largely created during the early 1960s, when he first shifted his focus to comic-book art - a move prompted by one of his sons, who, while reading a Mickey Mouse comic book, remarked to his father, "I bet you can't paint as good as that". During these years, Lichtenstein used a variety of cartoon images and techniques derived from the appearance of commercial printing, as well as delving into the consumerism linked to advertising imagery. There are several works from this period on show but the main aim of the exhibition is to demonstrate Lichtenstein's remarkable versatility. The show highlights the artist's ability to revisit comic book art and works by grand masters, such as Piet Mondrian and Paul Cezanne, with equal ease. His fascination with different forms and styles continued throughout his life, and the exhibition includes tributes to Cubism, Futurism, 1930s Modernism, Action Painting, landscape painting and still lifes.

But it also showcases Lichtenstein's skill at working in many different mediums, from large-scale canvases and graphic design, through to collage and sculpture.

The exhibition remains at the Triennale until May 30, after which it transfers to Cologne's Ludwig Museum.