Richard Prince

Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York
Jay Gorney Fine Art, New York

This work is in good condition overall. There are seams inherent to the original cotton canvas, which are visible on the surface of the painting. The largest of these are as follows: one horizontal seam, measuring approximately 4 inches, located 13 3/4 in. from the top edge and 22 in. from the right edge. Another vertical seam, measuring 14 in.; is located 15 in. from the left and 35 in. from the top. Another horizontal 20 in. seam is located 4 in. from the bottom at the right edge. There is a fine line of cracking extending through the right leg of the seated figure, beginning 17 in. from the left and 24 in. from the bottom. There are a few areas of light and unobtrusive cracquelure 7 in. from the bottom and 9 in. from the left; 8 in from top and 16 in. from the right; and 2 in. from the top and 12 in. from the right edge. There is no evidence of inpainting under UV light. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Interviewer: Have you always been funny?

Richard Prince: No, I'm not so funny. I like it when other people are
funny. It's hard being funny. Being funny is a way to survive.  Richard Prince ("Like A Beautiful Scar On Your Head", Modern Painters, Autumn 2002, Volume 15, Number 3 )

Since the late 1970s, Richard Prince has been mining images from the mass media, drawing on sources such as advertisements, entertainment, and cartoons for material. By isolating and removing these images from their intended context, Prince examines various codes of representation that often explore gender and class. One of the original Appropriation artists, Prince engages in a practice that has consistently questioned the tropes of authenticity and originality in art making.

The central image in this work features a seductive woman and two business men; these characters are used repeatedly throughout Prince's work, as is the joke included in the image: "What a kid I was. I remember practicing the violin in front of a roaring fire. My old man walked in. Ma was furious. We didn't have a fireplace."

Prince began using jokes and cartoons in his work around 1987, during which time he discovered Whitney Darrow's cartoons from the 1950s and 1960s, which were published in the New Yorker. The cartoons that Prince appropriates are often seductive images that depict affairs, satirizing the marital morals of the time. The joke series take many forms: some are handwritten, some silkscreened, and others include cartoons or fragments of drawings.

According to Prince, "I first started to re-draw cartoons that were in different magazines. I called them jokes at first. I realized I was wrong in the calling so I got rid of the image and concentrated on the punch line. I started to buy joke books. I started to hang out in the 'humor' section of book stores."

Richard Prince's work is found in numerous public collections including The Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Dallas Art Museum; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. A retrospective of his work is currently on view at The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.