Richard Prince (born 1949) is a leading American contemporary artist and a central figure in the development of Appropriation Art. Emerging in the late 1970s and 1980s, Prince became known for re-photographing and recontextualizing existing images from advertising, mass media, and popular culture. By reframing these images as his own artworks, he challenges traditional notions of authorship, originality, and ownership, raising fundamental questions about image circulation in contemporary society.
A defining strategy in Prince's practice is re-photography. His celebrated Cowboy series, derived from Marlboro cigarette advertisements, isolates and aestheticizes the myth of the American West while exposing the constructed nature of commercial imagery. Similarly, his Nurse series, based on vintage paperback covers, transforms pulp fiction into psychologically charged portraits that oscillate between seduction and menace. Across painting, photography, and limited edition prints, Prince consistently interrogates how images shape desire, identity, and cultural memory.
Prince's limited edition prints, often hand-signed and numbered, remain highly sought after by collectors. His works have been exhibited internationally, including major presentations at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (2022), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2017), Kunsthaus Bregenz (2014), and the Serpentine Galleries (2008). Through his sustained examination of appropriation and media culture, Prince has secured his position as one of the most influential figures in postwar and contemporary art.
