Richard Prince is an American photographer and painter who has become one of the most influential figures in contemporary art. Born in 1949 in the Panama Canal Zone, Prince grew up in a military family and moved around frequently. He attended the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C., where he studied painting and photography.
Prince's career began with his first solo exhibition at the Sonnabend Gallery in New York City in 1977. His work was immediately recognized for its unique approach to appropriation, which he used to explore themes of identity, consumerism, and popular culture. He often re-photographed images from magazines or advertisements, creating a new context for them that challenged viewers to reconsider their original meaning.
In the 1980s, Prince began experimenting with painting on canvas and incorporating found objects into his work. His most famous series from this period is "Cowboys," which featured photographs of cowboys taken from Marlboro cigarette ads that were then painted over with bright colors and abstract shapes. This series established Prince as a leader in the Neo-Expressionist movement of the 1980s.
In the 1990s, Prince continued to explore appropriation through his "rephotography" technique, which involved re-photographing existing photographs or images from books or magazines without altering them significantly. This technique allowed him to create works that commented on issues such as race, gender, and sexuality while also exploring ideas about authorship and originality.
Throughout his career, Prince has exhibited widely at galleries and museums around the world including The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City; The Whitney Museum of American Art; The Guggenheim Museum; The Tate Modern; The Centre Pompidou; and many others. He has also been featured in numerous publications including Time Magazine, Artforum Magazine, Vogue Magazine, Vanity Fair Magazine, and more. In 2008 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Center for Photography for his contributions to photography as an art form.
Today Richard Prince continues to push boundaries with his work while exploring themes such as identity politics and consumer culture through appropriation art techniques that have become synonymous with his name.