Richard Hamilton was one of the most influential figures in British art of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. A founding member of the Independent Group, Hamilton was a key player in the conception of pop art. In 1956 he participated in This is Tomorrow, the seminal group exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, which explored themes of technology, and mass and commodity culture. The following year Hamilton formulated his list of the defining characteristics of pop: “Popular (designed for a mass audience); Transient (short term solution); Expendable (easily forgotten); Low Cost; Mass Produced; Young (aimed at Youth); Witty; Sexy; Gimmicky; Glamorous; and Big Business.” Hamilton’s agenda arguably can be said to anticipate the development of pop in America, traditionally considered the birthplace of the movement. In 2002, Hamilton revisited This is Tomorrow in this screen print, which references the installation for the exhibition he made with John McHale and John Voelcker. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016