Mel Ramos (1935–2018) is best known for his pin-up style nudes that are often paired with curious props and settings.  In the last few years, his reputation has been solidified with major canvases achieving upwards of half a million at auction.  His works were included in a seminal show at LACMA in 1963 alongside Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

In 1981, Ramos collaborated with the Tamarind Institute of Los Angeles on a series of lithographs that depicted textured, tropical views of the California landscape.  While "Oakland: Ode to Moe" may seem like an anomaly in his oeuvre, such a sentimental and evocative depiction of his hometown is highly appropriate and delightful. 

Today his work can be found in many major museum collections in America including the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), the National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Guggenheim.

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Signed and dated in pencil and by the artist 

Edition CTP (Color Trial Proof) 

Color lithograph on Arches paper 

20"H 28"W (work)

Very good condition.