One Cent Life, 1964
In 1964, one of the most ambitious and visionary editorial projects of the postwar period took shape: One Cent Life. Far from being a conventional artist’s book, it stands as a remarkable collection of original lithographs, bringing together many of the defining figures of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Neo-Dada.
Conceived by the artist and poet Walasse Ting, One Cent Life emerged as a collective, radical gesture - free in spirit and uncompromising in form - capable of capturing the energy of a moment when art was actively redefining its language, its boundaries, and its audience. Ting did not act as a traditional editor or curator; rather, he functioned as a catalyst, gathering artists who were reshaping the visual culture of the 1960s and inviting them to contribute original lithographs, without hierarchy, imposed themes, or stylistic constraints.
The result is a visual constellation that traverses multiple artistic vocabularies while remaining united by a shared creative urgency.
An unprecedented Collection
One Cent Life comprises 62 original color lithographs, all produced in 1964, by artists who today form the canonical core of postwar art history. Among them: Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Indiana, Joan Mitchell, Sam Francis, Mel Ramos, Pierre Alechinsky, Asger Jorn, Karel Appel, Enrico Baj, Alfred Jensen, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Walasse Ting e molti altri.
Andy Warhol (1928–1987)
Marilyn Monroe I Love Your Kiss Forever Forever (from the One Cent Life portfolio), 1964
One Cent Life, 1964
Each lithograph was conceived as an autonomous artwork, not as a reproduction or illustrative contribution. The portfolio does not follow a linear narrative; instead, it is intentionally fragmented, energetic, and at times contradictory, mirroring the cultural atmosphere from which it emerged.
Technical excellence and production
From a technical standpoint, One Cent Life represents one of the high points of postwar printmaking.
The lithographs were printed in Paris by Maurice Beaudet, one of the most respected master printers of the period, renowned for his collaborations with leading international artists. The printing quality is exceptional: saturated colors, complex overlays, and dense chromatic fields faithfully reflect the pictorial research of the participating artists.
Claes Oldenburg (1929 - 2022)
Untitled (from the One Cent Life portfolio), 1964
One Cent Life, 1964
The project was published by E. W. Kornfeld, a key figure in the international art market, whose involvement ensured both curatorial rigor and selective distribution. The edition was limited to 2,000 numbered copies, making each individual lithograph today a rare, historically anchored, and fully collectible work.
Why One Cent Life is a landmark of 1964
The importance of One Cent Life lies not only in the artists involved, but in its historical positioning.
1964 marked a pivotal moment: Pop Art entered the international spotlight, Abstract Expressionism reached a mature phase, and a new generation of artists began questioning the relationships between image, consumption, body, and language. One Cent Life captures this moment with remarkable clarity and creative freedom.
The lithographs reveal artists at a crucial point in their practice - often experimental, unencumbered by the institutional gravitas that would later define their monumental works. This immediacy is precisely what makes the portfolio so compelling today: it is not a retrospective artifact, but a living document.
Mel Ramos (1935 - 2018)
Untitled (from the One Cent Life portfolio), 1964
One Cent Life, 1964
Lithographs as independent works
More than sixty years on, the lithographs from One Cent Life have achieved full autonomy within the art market. They are no longer perceived merely as components of a bound portfolio, but as independent graphic works, comparable to the iconic editions produced by Warhol, Lichtenstein, or Rauschenberg.
Each sheet carries:
- the artist’s hand;
- the integrity of atelier-level printing;
- the visual power of an original language;
- a clear, verifiable historical provenance.
Mel Ramos (1933 - 2017)
Untitled (from the One Cent Life portfolio), 1964
One Cent Life, 1964
For today’s contemporary art collectors, these works offer a privileged point of access to museum-level artists, at a moment when the balance between historical significance and relative accessibility has become increasingly rare.