Richard Prince
American artist known for rephotographing advertisements to critique pop culture.
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Richard Prince (born August 6, 1949) is an American conceptual and pop artist who gained attention in the 1980s in Manhattan’s East Village. He is known for using rephotography and appropriation to portray models, living room furniture, watches, pens, and jewelry, reflecting American pop culture. Major survey exhibitions of his work have been held at the Whitney Museum of American Art (1992), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1993), Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam (1993), Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Basel (2001, traveling to Kunsthalle Zürich and Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (2007, traveling to the Walker Art Center in 2008), and the Serpentine Gallery in London (2008). *The New York Times* has described Prince as “one of the most revered artists of his generation.”
Prince was born on August 6, 1949, in the Panama Canal Zone, then under U.S. control and now part of the Republic of Panama. In a 2000 interview with Julie L. Belcove, when asked why his parents were there, he replied, “they worked for the government.” He first became interested in the art of abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock, saying, “I was very attracted to the idea of someone who was by themselves, fairly antisocial, kind of a loner, someone who was noncollaborative.” Growing up during Pollock’s peak, Prince found his work accessible. A 1956 *Time* magazine article calling Pollock “Jack the Dripper” made him think art could be a career. After finishing high school in 1967, he left for Europe at age 18. Prince has said his attraction to New York was sparked by a famous photograph of Franz Kline looking out his 14th Street studio window, which he described as “a man content to be alone, pursuing the outside world from the sanctum of his studio.” In 1973, he moved to New York and began working at Time Inc., where his job in the library involved providing tear sheets of articles to the company’s magazines. Prince’s first solo exhibition was in June 1980 during a residency at CEPA gallery in Buffalo, New York, where his short book *Menthol Wars* was also published. In 1981, he had his first West Coast solo show at Jancar Kuhlenschmidt Gallery in Los Angeles. In 1985, he spent four months making art in a rented house in Venice, Los Angeles. Prince had little photography experience but said in interviews that all he needed was a subject; the medium would follow. He compared his method of searching for interesting advertisements to “beachcombing.” His early series focused on models, living room furniture, watches, pens, and jewelry, with pop culture as the central theme. He described his appropriation process: “At first it was pretty reckless. Plagiarizing someone else’s photograph, making a new picture effortlessly. Making the exposure, looking through the lens and clicking, felt like an unwelling . . . a whole new history without the old one. It absolutely destroyed any associations I had experienced with putting things together. And of course the whole thing about the naturalness of the film’s ability to appropriate. I always thought it had a lot to do with having a chip on your shoulder.” In the late 1980s, like contemporaries Lorna Simpson and Barbara Kruger, Prince combined image and text, placing jokes among cartoons, often from *The New Yorker*. On found photographs, he said, “Oceans without surfers, cowboys without Marlboros…Even though I’m aware of the classicism of the images. I seem to go after images that I don’t quite believe. And, I try to re-present them even more unbelievably.”
In November 1983, Prince and his then-girlfriend Kimberley Fine opened a short-lived gallery called Spiritual America on New York’s Lower East Side. Its only initial exhibit was a photograph of the same name—a reproduction of Garry Gross’s photo of a 10-year-old Brooke Shields 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 also held a show titled “POP,” though details of that exhibition and the gallery’s closing are uncertain. The namesake photo initially received only a single brief press mention but had a longer legacy. When a Prince print of Shields was included in his 2009 *Spiritual America* exhibit at the Tate Modern, it caused a stir and was removed after a police warning. Prince created a numbered series of 10 prints (plus two artist’s proofs), each 20 by 24 inches, of his reproduction. In May 2014, copy #10 was auctioned at Christie’s for $3.97 million, surpassing his previous photo record of $3.4 million set at Sotheby’s New York in 2007. *Untitled (Cowboy)* has been named by *Time* magazine as one of the “Top 100 most influential images of all time.” The image shows an arid Western U.S. landscape with stone outcrops, cacti, tumbleweeds, and a sunset backdrop. Taken from Marlboro cigarette advertisements featuring the Marlboro Man, the ads were staged with careful attention to detail.
- born
- August 6, 1949
- field
- Conceptual art, pop art
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Rephotography and appropriation of advertisements, models, living room furniture
Verified Timeline
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1949-08-06
- Birth Place
- Panama Canal Zone, U.S.
- Field
- Photography, painting
- Movement
- The Pictures Generation
- Website
- richardprince.com
Facts from the source article.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Richard Prince?
Richard Prince is an American conceptual and pop artist born on August 6, 1949, who became a defining voice in the 1980s East Village art scene in Manhattan. He is best recognized for using rephotography and appropriation to interrogate American consumer culture.
What is Richard Prince known for?
He built his reputation by rephotographing advertisements, models, and everyday objects such as watches, pens, and living-room furniture, turning mass-media imagery into pointed commentary on pop culture. His appropriation-based practice made him one of the most talked-about figures in late-twentieth-century art.
What are Richard Prince's most famous works?
His most cited pieces include Untitled (Cowboy), the Nurse Paintings series, and Spiritual America. Each work recontextualizes existing commercial or cultural imagery to question notions of originality and ownership.
Where has Richard Prince had major exhibitions?
Major survey shows of his work have been mounted at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has also exhibited internationally at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam and the Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Basel.
What art movements is Richard Prince associated with?
He is primarily linked to conceptual art and pop art, having emerged as a key figure in the 1980s New York scene. His practice sits at the crossroads of appropriation, photography, and critical engagement with mass media and advertising.
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