Richard Prince : Protest Paintings

15 Oct-20 Dec 2013

Overview

Together for the first time in a comprehensive exhibition, Richard Prince: Protest Paintings (1989 – 1994) will be on view at Skarstedt. Painted on a vertical canvas in the shape of a protest placard, the Protest Paintings alternate between monochromatic minimalism and richly layered colourful abstraction. Incorporating recycled jokes, printed and hand-written, as well as mined pattern details silkscreened onto the canvas, these paintings are characteristic of Prince’s tenet of appropriation. A mainstay in his art, the classic one-liners offer comic respite, whilst also challenging the high/low art divide. Featuring paintings from public and private collections, the exhibition demonstrates the breadth of Prince’s creativity in this singular body of work. The range of paintings on show includes monochrome canvases with printed and handwritten jokes, patterned canvases with block text and brightly coloured abstract compositions overlaid with graffiti and drip marks.