Wesselmann never liked his inclusion in American Pop Art, pointing out how he made an aesthetic use of
everyday objects and not a
reference to them as
consumer objects: «I dislike labels in general and «Pop» in particular, especially because it overemphasizes the material used.
His work features imagery of
everyday and
consumer objects, such as paper clips, light bulbs, and champagne flutes, found in desolate urban settings as a
reference to his upbringing, but also to broader universal ideas including desire, luxury, and the influx of consumerism into South African society.