Eduardo Paolozzi’s 1947 collage, “I Was a Rich Man’s Plaything,” is considered a foundational Pop Art work and one of the first to feature the word “POP!,” using cutouts from American magazines to depict consumerism and technology, foreshadowing the broader movement that emerged later. Created while studying in London and Paris, this collage, with its juxtaposed images of pin-ups, technology, and advertisements (like Coca-Cola), directly influenced the development of Pop Art, even before the term was officially coined.

Key Aspects of “I Was a Rich Man’s Plaything”:

Found Objects & Collage: Paolozzi used American magazine cuttings, ads, and scientific illustrations, a technique echoing Dada photomontage but focused on modern mass culture.

Early “POP!”: The iconic “POP!” bursting from a gun in the collage is believed to be the first instance of the word “pop” in art, predating the movement’s formal recognition.

Consumerism & Technology: It captures themes of American consumerism, technology (like the rocket), and idealized femininity, all central to later Pop Art.

Precursor to Pop: Though Paolozzi himself linked it to Surrealism, this work, along with his “Bunk” series (1947-1952), established him as a pioneer, influencing the Independent Group and the broader Pop Art movement.

This seminal collage, now housed at the Tate, remains a crucial landmark in art history, bridging modernism and the explosion of Pop Art in the mid-1950s.