Roy Lichtenstein's Entablatures series, created between 1971 and 1976, is a thematic exploration inspired by the architecture of Lower Manhattan and the grand, neo-classical facades of Wall Street's buildings. Moving beyond his iconic comic strips and advertisements, Lichtenstein turned his attention to Classical motifs, reflecting upon hierarchies of taste and subverting the assumed power of these motifs. His work in this series dialogues with the mass imitation of Greco-Roman forms found throughout the American urban landscape.

To create these works, Lichtenstein drew upon architectural journals and his own photographs of New York City, making collages that served as the basis for his prints. These pieces foreground geometric pattern, texture, and abstraction through a combination of innovative printmaking techniques, including screen-printing, lithography, and stencils. They feature rich ornamentation and layered patterning that recall the original architectural reliefs, with machine-cut foil elements adding spatial illusion and reflectivity in a range of finishes. This series underscores Lichtenstein's interest in the interplay between three-dimensional architecture and two-dimensional representation, marking a capstone in his thematic exploration of architectural motifs​ (Phillips)​.