Posted on
2011-09-19
Prince’s art frequently takes as its subject peripheral aspects of American culture, both high and low, and transforms them into a medium. Whether “Borscht Belt” jokes, car and motorcycle enthusiasm, pulp-literature or celebrity, his material is sourced from the underbelly of society. Prince takes aim at the vulgar, revealing culture’s indiscretions—misogyny, consumerism, exhibitionism and idealized desire. However, as a critique it is ambiguous in that it is accompanied by an equal dose of sympathy and obsession. That said, Prince is not confined to the low. He is equally versed in the high art of de Kooning, Pollock and Picasso, not to mention literary tradition. As Robert Rubin writes “He appropriates an era and makes something that resonates differently for different people. The beauty of Richard Prince’s art is that it doesn’t have limits.”
Prince is an avid collector and curator of Americana. In selecting or regroupings images, whether they be rephotographs of advertisements of luxury pens, living room sets, the Marlboro Man, or forged publicity photographs, extracting them from their source, Prince elevates them to the status of fine art. Having been sourced for his palette, Prince’s subjects are recycled to fit into the framework of the artist’s diverse repertoire.One may consider, for example, the title of this exhibition, which references the lesser-known American band The Fugs, founded in the early 1960s. Noted for their participation in the anti-Vietnam movement and alternative intellectualism, they were also allied closely with the Beat Generation, another of Prince’s longstanding references. The band can be found in the series Untitled (1,2,3,4), which groups together images in a gang-like fashion.
Opposite – Untitled (Oh), 2009
Exhibition runs through to October 8th, 2011
Almine Rech Gallery
20 Rue de L’Abbaye Abdijstraat
B-1050
Brussels
www.alminerech.com
