Richard Hamilton was a British painter and one of the pioneers of the Pop Art movement, which emerged in the 1950s and 1960s. Born in London in 1922, Hamilton studied at the Royal Academy of Arts and the Slade School of Fine Art, where he was exposed to the works of the Surrealists and the Dadaists.

Hamilton's early works were characterized by a fascination with the intersection of art and technology, and he was one of the first artists to incorporate elements of mass media and popular culture into his paintings. His works often featured images of consumer products and advertisements, and he used a range of media, including painting, printmaking, and collage, to create works that were both visually striking and intellectually engaging.

Throughout his career, Hamilton continued to explore new directions in his art, experimenting with new media and techniques and collaborating with other artists and designers. He was a major influence on the development of the Pop Art movement, and his work inspired a generation of artists who sought to challenge the traditional boundaries of art and embrace new forms of expression.

Hamilton's contributions to the art world have been widely recognized, and he has been the subject of numerous exhibitions and retrospectives, including a major show at the Tate Modern in London in 2014. His works are included in the collections of major museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Centre Pompidou.

Despite his fame and success, Hamilton remained dedicated to his craft and continued to create new works until his death in 2011 at the age of 89. His legacy continues to influence contemporary art, and his powerful, thought-provoking works remain as relevant and impactful today as they were when he first created them.