This Must Be The Place

Roy Lichtenstein’s This Must Be The Place was commissioned and published by the National Cartoonist Society. The work was utilised as the poster for the 19th Annual Reubens Awards. The print features a futuristic city in yellow, red, blue, and black with towering skyscrapers and domed rooftops. A speech bubble emanating from a rocketship jetting high above exclaims “This must be the place!”, as it soars by.

Executed in 1965, Lichtenstein’s poster announced the commencement of the Annual Reubens Awards weekend held at The Plaza in New York City. Previous to the formal gala event, secret ballots were collected to decide who would become ‘Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year’. At the black-tie banquet, cartoonists from various professional divisions like tv, animation, and comic books were honored with special plaques of excellence.#

The National Cartoonist Society and the famed cartoonist Rube Goldberg, after whom the Reubens award was named, represent important values that align with Lichtenstein’s own. The pop pioneer worked relentlessly to advance comic book imagery, elevating it to the realms of fine art. Throughout his career, he promoted social and cultural commentary through the many forms of cartooning. Ultimately, Lichtenstein encouraged the reconsideration of art historical conventions and introduced a whole new mode of artistic dialogue.