From billboard painter to Pop Art pioneer, #JamesRosenquist turned everyday images into cultural commentary. 🖌 Here’s how to crack the code in “Leaky Ride for Dr. Leakey” (1983): Archaeologist Dr. Leakey, for which the work is named, was famous for his contributions to understanding human evolution. This painting can be read (left to right) as a big-picture story about humanity’s place in the universe. ✏ Pencil → basic technology, how we pass down our ideas to the next generation 🔩 Bolts → the mechanical age 🌌 Vortex → galaxy, Big Bang, the birth of the universe 💄 Woman’s face → our cultural “now,” pulled apart to reveal infinity On view now, Floor 2 at SFMOMA. Which symbol speaks to you most? [James Rosenquist, “Leaky Ride for Dr. Leakey,” 1983; Gift of Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson; © James Rosenquist / Licensed by VAGA at ARS, New York, NY; Photo: Ben Blackwell] #PopArt #ModernArt #ArtExplained