Roy Lichtenstein's only film to be included in Tate retrospective

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2013/feb/01/roy-lichtenstein-film-tate-retrospective

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He is an artist known for his comic strips and distinctive Benday dots but never film, so Tate Modern is hoping Three Landscapes will be both a surprise and an eye opener.

The gallery on Friday announced it is to show Roy Lichtenstein's one and only film work when it stages a major retrospective of his work from next month.

"It is extremely little-known," said Tate Modern's curator of film, Stuart Comer. "I think most people are shocked when they learn that Lichtenstein did in fact make a film. They know the cinematic references in his other work but have no idea of his direct engagement."

The work is will be shown in Tate Modern's Tanks in March, the first time Three Landscapes will have been seen in Europe.

The one-minute work loops collage footage on three screens of the ocean off Long Island, a tropical fish tank, a Benday dot sky, and still images of a blue sky, clouds and a seagull.

Visitors may well feel queasy. "It is not just a film, it is an installation," said Comer. "There is this hypnotic, almost psychedelic quality to it – it is kind of mesmerising. You could probably get seasick if you watched it for too long."

Three Landscapes was first shown at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in May 1971 and was the result of an invitation by Maurice Tuchman, the museum's chief curator, for Lichtenstein to take part in a residency pairing artists with hi-tech Californian corporations.

Because of his association with comic-book heroes, Lichtenstein was paired with Universal Film studios. He flew to LA, went on a studio tour, visited the set of the Hitchcock spy film Topaz and was briefed on subjects such as editing and special effects.

He eventually decided he would make seascapes and was given the comedian Jack Benny's old dressing room as his studio. With various collaborators, including the independent filmmaker Joel Freedman, he set out on what was meant to be a hugely ambitious 15-film project.

Time and money meant it became three. Iria Candela, co-curator of the Lichtenstein show at Tate Modern, said the artist quickly realised that film as a medium was not for him. "When he finished the project, in a way he lost interest. What fascinated him was his painting. It was the first time and the last time he used film."

The film was shown in LA and then not seen again until it was restored by the Whitney in New York in 2011. It will be shown for two weeks in Tate Modern's Tanks in parallel with the first big retrospective for Lichtenstein in 20 years.

The film shines a light on an overlooked chapter of art film history, the expanded cinema from the late 60s and early 70s. "Although Lichtenstein was certainly not operating in underground or experimental film circles, you can definitely see that the project does come out of those kinds of experiments," said Comer.

• Three Landscapes will be in Tate Modern's Tanks, London, between 9-12 and 14-24 March. The