Richard Prince

Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York
Skarstedt Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Hannover, Kestner-Gesellschaft, Richard Prince: Photographs 1977-1993, June - July 1994, p. 122, illustrated in color
Basel, Museum für Gegenwartskunst; Kunsthalle Zurich, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Richard Prince: Photographs, December 2001 - July 2002, p. 122, illustrated in color

 

Rosetta Brooks, Jeff Rian and Luc Sante, Eds., Richard Prince, New York 2003, p. 76, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. The print is mounted verso to the backing board. There is evidence of some scattered, very minor wear along the extreme edges of the print, with an associated pinpoint pigment loss along the left edge, approximately 7 inches from the top edge, not visible when framed. Only under close inspection and certain raking light is there is evidence of a very faint 7 in. vertical surface scratch at the center left of the print, approximately 24 inches from the top edge and 7 ½ inches from the left edge. There are a few scattered, very minor surface irregularities throughout the print, most noticeably 9 ½ inches from the top right edge and 12 inches from the right edge. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, the aforementioned surface irregularities fluoresce darkly but are flush with the surface and likely not from the time of execution. Framed under Plexiglas.
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.

“Since the mid-1980s, Prince has appropriated photographs of real-world women, rather than commercial images of women, who are working various transformations upon themselves. These women are engaged in a struggle, which they often lose: to signify themselves as absolutely individual while boxing themselves into prefabricated roles. They are doggedly trying to become something else, yet what they are cannot be completely eradicated…Like the Marlboro Man, the women he portrays posit themselves as outlaws and individualists. But ironically, the way they attain outlaw status most often is by displaying their sexuality for men to admire. So, when the biker chicks go riding off into the sunset, they’re topless on a Harley-Davidson. The women Prince chooses never achieve the seamless images of movie stars or fashion models; there’s something smutty and disreputable about them, they remain a patch-work of wishes and desires.”

Carol Squiers in “Is Richard Prince a Feminist?”, Art in America, November 1993