WHAT ?
Imagine, getting lost in the streets of New York, seeing yellow taxis, hearing jazz music … When a shop window draws your attention. Yes! It is a big portrait of you posted in the Gargosian gallery! And down, a six-digit price!
Here is the reaction of around thirty people from whom their portraits were stolen by a simple screen-shot realized on Instagram by the artist Richard Prince for its exhibition "New Portrait" in September 2014.
WHO ?
Born in 1949 in an American zone of the Panama Canal, Richard Prince is an American painter and a plastic photographer. He lives and works in the campaign near to New York. One of his very first jobs was in the tear sheets department of Time-Life, where he would spend days tearing out article from the company’s eight magazines. After developing a fascination with the leftover adverts, Prince started his lifetime course of appropriation. Beginning with furniture, watches and jewelry, he re-photographed the original ads to create his own art work.
In 1980, the Marlboro cowboy became the object of Prince’s desire. Sticking to the stereotypical cowboy image complete with horse, lasso and a tumbleweed backdrop, Prince simply re-photographed the cigarette ads, removing the Marlboro logo.
“I had limited technical skills. Actually, I had no skills. I played the camera. I used a cheap commercial lab to blow up the pictures. I never went into a darkroom”. Prince’s lack of skill didn’t stop him from picking apart the Marlboro Man prompting everyone around him to ponder the eternal question: what is art?
THAT INVOLVES ?
Richard Prince hardly won his trial - concerning the authorization or not to reproduce and to daub the portraits of Jamaican Rastafarian photographed originally by Patrick Cariou - that indignation starts again. Appropriations one day, appropriations forever! Prince used 38 Instagram accounts to make screen shots including comments and likes. All this without asking for the authorization of anyone, and especially not to their owners which are celebrities, his friends (Pamela Anderson) or unknowns. For what he is blamed, holds in three points: images that he used do not belong to him, they are private order, or at least have to stay in the Instagram community. Finally, he exposes photos relatively dared for young and sexy girls and takes advantage of it to earn money. Indeed, paintings were sold to 90 000 dollars (about 82 000 euros) room.
WHAT DOES ART AND INSTAGRAM MEAN ?
ART – No more talents need, now there is Instagram. Instagram and its million photos, quite recoverable thanks to a simple screen shot. Clearly, it is not art but one thing's for sure: it is extremely lucrative. And Richard Prince can show it.
He exhibited 38 portraits, or more exactly 38 screen shots, matched by some signed lines Richard Prince. It is moreover Prince's only contribution, that sells every "painting" about 100.000 dollars.
The Instagram design added this impacting side in the public eyes. Here is shown in a clear and precise way how social networks are used today to modernize a work and be known.
What do you think about it ? Profit and manipulation or Art?
Thank you ! Don't hesitate to give your advice about his job !
`Great article.