Richard Prince

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Lore & Background

Richard Prince was born on August 6, 1949, in the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Zone, now part of the Republic of Panama. During a 2000 interview with Julie L. Belcove, he said his parents "worked for the government." He was first interested in the art of abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock, attracted to "the idea of someone who was by themselves, fairly antisocial, kind of a loner." After finishing high school in 1967, he set off for Europe at age 18. His attraction to New York was instigated by a photograph of Franz Kline gazing out his 14th Street studio window, which Prince described as "a man content to be alone, pursuing the outside world from the sanctum of his studio." In 1973, Prince moved to New York and joined Time Inc., where his job involved providing the company's magazines with tear sheets of articles. Prince's first solo exhibition took place in June 1980 during a residency at CEPA gallery in Buffalo, New York, where his short book Menthol Wars was published. In 1985, he spent four months making art in a rented house in Venice, Los Angeles. He compared his method of searching out interesting advertisements to "beachcombing." His first series focused on models, living room furniture, watches, pens, and jewellery. In November 1983, Prince and then-girlfriend Kimberley Fine opened a short-lived gallery named Spiritual America on the Lower East Side. The only initial exhibit was a photograph of Garry Gross' photo of 10-year-old Brooke Shields standing naked in a bathtub, displayed in a "cheap gold frame." Prince called it "an extremely complicated photo of a naked girl who looks like a boy made up to look like a woman." The gallery had another show called "POP," but the contents and closing date remain uncertain. In May 2014, copy #10 of Prince's reproduction of the Gross photo was auctioned by Christie's for $3.97 million, surpassing his previous photo record of $3.4 million set at Sotheby's New York in 2007. Prince's Untitled (Cowboy) has been credited by Time magazine as one of the "Top 100 most influential images of all time." Taken from Marlboro cigarette advertisements, the image represents an idealized figure of American masculinity. Prince stated, "Every week. I'd see one and be like, Oh that's mine, Thank you." He told Artforum in 2003: "I had limited technical skills regarding the camera. Actually I had no skills. I played the camera. I used a cheap commercial lab to blow up the pictures. I made editions of two. I never went into a darkroom." Prince made his first Joke painting circa 1985 in New York, living in the back room of 303 Gallery. In a 2000 interview, he called the joke paintings "what I wanted to become known for." The Nurse Paintings, inspired by pulp romance novel covers, debuted in 2003 at Barbara Gladstone Galleries. On June 18, 2021, Runaway Nurse (2005–2006) sold for 93,986,000 HKD (US$12,121,000) at Sotheby's Hong Kong.

Reader's Guide

Richard Prince's significance lies in his pioneering use of appropriation and rephotography to question originality, authorship, and the commercialization of American culture. By taking existing advertisements—such as Marlboro cowboy ads or luxury goods—and presenting them as his own, he challenged traditional notions of artistic creation and authenticity. His work, including the controversial Spiritual America and the Nurse Paintings, often provoked legal and public debate about copyright and the boundaries of art. Prince's practice influenced a generation of artists working with found imagery and conceptual strategies. His inclusion in major museum surveys and record auction prices, such as the $3.97 million sale of a Spiritual America print in 2014, underscore his lasting impact on contemporary art. However, his methods have also drawn criticism from photographers whose work he appropriated without attribution, highlighting ongoing tensions in the art world over intellectual property. For instance, Norm Clasen, whose work was used in the Untitled (Cowboy) series, expressed being aggrieved over the failure to attribute his work, saying: "If you see somebody's copied your work, there's something deep down in you that says 'I'm the author of that.'" In December 2008, photographer Patrick Cariou filed a copyright infringement suit against Prince, Gagosian Gallery, Lawrence Gagosian, and Rizzoli International Publications over 35 photographs used in Prince's Canal Zone exhibit. On March 18, 2011, US District Judge Deborah A. Batts ruled against Prince, finding his use was not fair use.

Did You Know?

• Prince's first solo exhibition was in June 1980 at CEPA gallery in Buffalo, New York, where his short book Menthol Wars was published.
• In May 2014, copy #10 of Prince's reproduction of the Garry Gross photo of Brooke Shields sold at Christie's for $3.97 million.
• Prince's Untitled (Cowboy) was credited by Time magazine as one of the 'Top 100 most influential images of all time.'
• On June 18, 2021, Prince's painting Runaway Nurse (2005–2006) sold for 93,986,000 HKD (US$12,121,000) at Sotheby's Hong Kong.
• Prince owns several copies of On the Road by Jack Kerouac, including one inscribed to Kerouac's mother and the copy owned by Neal Cassady with Cassady's signature and marginal notes.