Richard Prince by C-Lab Richard Prince has kept his distance. The artist has worked under pseudonyms, shown in unlisted spaces, denied authorship of works, and since 1997 has lived tucked away in the upstate New York town of Rensselaerville, population 1,900. His career is a near perfect rendition of the myth of the artist as recluse. But his journey into the wilderness hasn t kept him away from the limelight of celebrity. That is, the obsession with celebrity in his artworks. Prince enjoys depicting the audience as well as author, and plays off the private fantasy of the fan, as much as the public image of the star. His early struggles as an artist, his move into seclusion, and his heroic return to the art world (in the much anticipated Guggenheim retrospective) have all been toward the creation of his best work on celebrity of all, Richard Prince. His ambition has not been to become a celebrity but rather to show through his own persona the creative process involved in becoming one. 66
67 Interview by Jim Lewis, Flash Art, 1993 Interview by Jeffrey Rian, Art in America, 1987 Interview by Steve Lafreniere, Artforum, 2003 Interview by Eva Prinz, Index, 2005 Interview by Jim Lewis, Flash Art, 1993 Interview by Eva Prinz, Index, 2005 Interview by Paul Taylor, Flash Art, 1988 Interview by Jeffrey Rian, Art in America, 1987
Kate Moss, R-Ville studio, 2003 Untitled (Publicity), 2000 68
Stella Tennant, R-Ville Studio, 1999 Untitled (girlfriend), 1993 Publicity shot of Nicole Kidman with check to Richard Prince, 2004 69
Richard Prince s Public Image Elusive strategies 1977 Refuses to participate in Douglas Crimp s landmark show Pictures I read his essay and told him it was shit, that it sounded like Roland Barthes. We haven t spoken since. (interview with Steve Lafreniere in Artforum, 2003) 1982 Leaves Metro Pictures I just couldn t deal with all those people wanting to come into your life. She [Cindy Sherman] could deal with it incredibly, really calmly. I should have gotten out of Metro Pictures sooner than I did. (interview with Paul Taylor, Flash Art, 1988) 1983 Anonymously opens gallery and show Spiritual America It was like off-off-off West Broadway. It was hard to get into. It was fashioned after this thing I had read about the Sex Pistols. The manager, Malcolm McLaren, wouldn t let anyone near them the press. He built up this desire among people really wanting to check them out. When I read that, I thought that that s what this gallery should be. It shouldn t be open. I swear that five days after it offically opened, magazines would call. I couldn t believe them. I said, No, no. You can t come. (interview with Paul Taylor, Flash Art, 1988) 1983 Publishes book Why I Go To The Movies Alone From the book: I never wanted to leave my room in the first place and I see no reason why this particular desire to be grounded, be looked upon as an unfortunate style. I like to stay home. 1984 Leaves Baskerville + Watson When they wanted to expand and get a big gallery, I think I left the next day. They said, You re going to be the big artist, and I left. 1985 Leaves NYC for LA for five months, after quitting job at Time-Life. 1987 Leaves International With Monument. Shows at 303 Gallery under the pseudonym John Dogg. 1996 Moves upstate to Rensselaerville, Albany County After twenty-five years, I was tired of the New York City lifestyle. I found it boring and repetitive you know, going to another dinner. Living in New York feels like you re always inside inside buildings, inside subways. I needed a new experience, so I went to the opposite extreme. We have a small farmhouse in the Catskills at the end of a dead-end dirt road. (interview with Eva Prinz, Index Magazine, 2005) 1981 First Metro Pictures solo show 1983 Spiritual America exhibition 1989 exhibition and book Spiritual America 1987 Covers for Artforum and Art in America 1992 Whitney Museum Prince retrospective 1988 First Gladstone Gallery solo show 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 70
2004 Parkett cover and special edition 2003 Phaidon monograph 2006 Tender Nurse sells for $2,256,000 Highest price paid for a single work at auction Total Sold at Auction 2005 Untitled (Cowboy) sells for $1,248,000 2002 Two volume monograph Richard Prince Paintings/Photographs 1993 First House for Regen Projects Group Shows 1995 Artist s book Adult Comedy Action Drama Articles by/about Richard Prince 1999 Gladstone show Books by/about Richard Prince 2004 My Name (diptych) sells for $747,200 Solo Shows 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 71