Mel Ramos

Mel Ramos (Sacramento, California, 1935 – 2018) was a leading figure of American Pop Art, best known for his provocative and ironic reinterpretation of advertising imagery and mass consumer culture.

Educated at Sacramento State University, where he studied under Wayne Thiebaud, Ramos developed a visual language that combined the realism of commercial illustration with references to classical painting. From the 1960s onward, he became widely known for his female nudes paired with iconic consumer products—cigarettes, candy, beverages, and global brands—using the body as a critical device to explore themes of consumption, desire, and identity.

Unlike many of his Pop contemporaries, Ramos maintained a strong commitment to figurative painting, employing a precise technique and overt composition that deliberately blurred the line between critique and celebration of advertising culture.

His works are included in major international museum collections such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, the Albertina Museum in Vienna, as well as numerous public and private collections across the United States and Europe. Today, Mel Ramos is regarded as a key figure of West Coast Pop Art, whose work continues to provoke discussion through its unmistakable visual language.