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Rene RicardGigi: red black abstract print with poetry based on 1950s vintage movie poster 1989
1989
$3,000
About
Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. This red and black lithograph replicates the splashy red film title for the 1958 MGM film starring Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier. Based on a Colette novel, GiGi follows a plucky young Parisienne who captures the heart of a wealthy aristocrat. The title is written with bold red brushstrokes at the top of the sheet. Ricard changed the title from GiGi, to gigi, with the lowercase text and girlish handwriting evoking an archetypal young, innocent girl. Below the title, a poem printed in black reads: "gigi / When I / died they / discovered I / was still a / 13 yr. old / girl / Named Willy". The loosely-drawn letters express a pensive emotion at odds with the urgent energy of the lipstick red painted title.
While it is based on a movie poster, the composition of Gigi could double as a book cover, certainly not an accident given Ricard's numerous published books and poems. Indeed, this lithograph was published in Ricard's 1990 book of poetry Trusty Sarcophagus, next to the printed text of the poem.
As an author, Ricard's increasing use of text in his work over the 1980's reflects his interest in the written word. His confessional hand-painted and hand-written poetry is almost always accompanied by the artist's outsized signature, integrated into the composition, or placed at its center. Here, Ricard's signature is printed in bold iridescent ink, displaying the artist's unabashed confidence and flamboyance.
This confidence (and Ricard's bedroom-eyed allure) attracted the attention of Andy Warhol, and the young Rene (formerly Albert Napoleon Ricard) became his protege. He would appear in three Warhol films, even playing the Factory founder himself in "Andy Warhol Story". Warhol would later call the famously acid-tongued Ricard "The George Sanders of the Lower East Side, the Rex Reed of the art world."
By the early 1980s, Rene Ricard was a fixture in the New York art scene, not only as an accomplished artist, but as a critic. Penning enlightening and poetic essays for Artforum, he turned his attention to rising stars such as Julian Schnabel and Alex Katz. Ricard famously wrote the first major article on Jean-Michel Basquiat. “The Radiant Child” is credited with launching Basquiat’s career, and is considered a seminal contemporary art essay.
Paper 50 x 38 in. / 127 x 96.5 cm
Lithograph on Folio Creme paper. Edition 30. Signed by the artist lower center. Numbered lower left in pencil; dated 1989 lower right in pencil.
Details
- CreatorRene Ricard (1946 - 2014, American)
- Creation Year1989
- DimensionsHeight: 50 in. (127 cm)Width: 38 in. (96.52 cm)
- Medium
- Movement & Style
- Period
- ConditionThis print is not previously owned and has been stored in the archives of the publisher since its publication.
- Gallery LocationNew York, NY
- Reference Number1stDibs: LU121125803802
Shipping & Returns
- Shipping$399 Standard Front Door Shippingto United States 0, arrives in 3-6 weeks. We recommend this shipping type based on item size, type and fragility.Delivered to the first available dry area outside of your house or building (front door, porch, landing area, garage, etc.).Ships From: New York, NY
- Return Policy
A return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
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About the SellerLocated in New York, NY
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