Book excerpt: Originating in England in the mid 1950s, Pop Art developed its full potential in the USA in the 1960s. It substitutes the everyday for the splendid; mass-produced articles are assigned the same importance as one-offs; the difference between high culture and popular culture is swept away. Media and advertising are among the preferred contents of Pop Art, which celebrates the consumer society in its own witty fashion. The enthusiasm generated by Pop Art since the first works were exhibited has never died down -- it is greater today than ever before. Book jacket.