Richard Hamilton – Bathroom Fig. 1

Richard Hamilton's Bathroom – fig. 1 (1997) is a computer-processed Iris giclée print that exemplifies the artist's late engagement with digital technology and photographic image construction. The composition presents a stark, minimalist bathroom interior in cool tonalities, interrupted by a blurred human presence and a sharply defined geometric form in vivid pink. This calculated contrast between precision and distortion heightens the psychological tension of the scene.

As in much of Hamilton's work, the domestic setting becomes a stage for examining modernity, surveillance, and the commodified body. The clinical clarity of the tiled space evokes advertising aesthetics and contemporary design culture, while the ghostlike figure introduces ambiguity and vulnerability. By merging digital manipulation with the legacy of Pop Art's investigation of mass media and consumer environments, Richard Hamilton transforms a seemingly neutral interior into a charged reflection on privacy and perception.

Published in 1997 in a limited edition of 50 prints, Bathroom – fig. 1 is hand-signed and numbered by the artist.

Richard Hamilton (1922–2011) was a pioneering British artist widely regarded as one of the founders of Pop Art. Born in London, Hamilton developed a multidisciplinary practice spanning collage, painting, photography, and printmaking. His work played a decisive role in shaping postwar British art by interrogating consumer culture, advertising, design, and the growing influence of mass media.

Hamilton's prints and photographic works were central to his practice. He employed photographic imagery not merely as source material but as a conceptual tool, layering references to technology, fashion, interiors, and popular culture into complex visual constructions. His seminal collage Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? (1956) remains a cornerstone of Pop Art, encapsulating his critical yet analytical approach to modern consumer society.

Throughout his career, Richard Hamilton produced limited edition prints that merged fine art with the visual language of commercial graphics. Characterized by precision, wit, and intellectual rigor, his artworks dissected the aesthetics of modern life while questioning authorship, originality, and the mechanics of reproduction. His works are held in major museum collections, including Tate and the Museum of Modern Art, underscoring his enduring influence on contemporary art and visual culture.