Richard Prince
dal 22/4/2003 al 31/5/2003
Segnalato da
22/4/2003
Richard Prince
Sadie Coles HQ (old location), London
A vivid new series of figurative paintings. The images use as their starting point the pulp fiction genre of medical romance novels. Scanning in the front covers of stories with Nurse in the title, Prince then applies deep layers of paint to the ink-jet surface, obscuring all other text and imagery so that only the nurse and her moniker remain - Surgical Nurse, Graduate Nurse, and so on.
Nurse Paintings
For his third exhibition for Sadie Coles HQ, Richard Prince presents a vivid new
series of figurative paintings.
The images use as their starting point the pulp fiction genre of medical romance
novels. Scanning in the front covers of stories with Nurse in the title, Prince
then applies deep layers of paint to the ink-jet surface, obscuring all other
text and imagery so that only the nurse and her moniker remain - Surgical Nurse,
Graduate Nurse, and so on. Against the vibrant background of passionate purples,
greens and pinks and other more menacing, darker tones, the white of the nurses'
uniform takes on an almost supernatural glow, with the balance of light and dark
making for a rich sense of drama, melodrama even. The nurse's face mask is
accentuated, protecting her anonymity and allowing her to become a cipher for
the viewer's fantasies. These paintings manifest a deep sense of nostalgia which
draws on our collective view of the angel of mercy, an image from sixties
America, but avoid becoming maudlin by retaining a hip edge.
While these paintings have their own distinctive aesthetic, they share many of
the aspects that have characterised Richard Prince's works - both photographic
and painting - over the years. There is the element of pop appropriation that
lies at the core of the Cowboys, Girlfriends or more recent Publicity
photographs. And with his Joke paintings they share the use of borrowed text and
low humour, while their literary connection highlights the artist's bibliophile
tendencies. The marriage of Prince's recent high, painterly aesthetic with the
low origins of the subject matter, has by no means led to a muted meeting on a
middle ground. Each end holds its own, and they sit surprisingly easily
together.
In the image :'Untitled', 1998.
This exhibition will coincide with the publication of Richard Prince's latest
book, American English. Based around the artist's collection of English and
American First Editions, it offers an insight into the knowledge and obsession
of the bibliophile and comes with a text by Prince, Bringing it all Back Home.
23 April to 31 May 2003
private view Wed 23, 6-8pm
For further information please contact Sara Harrison on +44 20 7434 2227 or via email
Sadie Coles HQ
35 Heddon Street London W1B 4BP
T+ 44 (0) 20 7434 2227 F+ 44 (0) 20 7434 2228