MALAGA.- Museo Picasso Málaga is showing the world premiere of an exhibition of previously unshown work by Richard Prince, one of the most outstanding artists on the international contemporary art scene.
Richard Prince approaches the subject of Pablo Picasso in an exhibition of 116 works that include paintings, collages and photo-collages that the US artist has produced over the last two years, along with a selection of graphite, watercolours on paper and a pencil drawing from the 1970s.
The Malaga exhibition will be on until 27th May. It has been curated by Museo Picasso Málaga and organized in collaboration with the Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte (FABA).
José Lebrero Stals, Artistic Director of the Museo Picasso Málaga interviews Richard Prince:
How much fetish is in the work that will be shown in Málaga?
I love drawing the mouth. It calms me down. Its perhaps the most interesting place on the body. We do a lot of things with it.
What role do dance and music play in the conception of your work?
Theres always music playing in my studio. Sometimes I play the same album over and over. The same one all summer. I just keep repeating it. When I was working on some of the Picasso paintings this past summer, the latest Wilco album was always on. I dont think it had anything to do with the way the figures appeared. That had more to do with El Greco and Cézanne.
Is there any connexion to literature in this group of works?
Same thing really. Im always reading. Sometimes a few books at a time. I was reading an advance proof of Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot and Peter Coyotes autobiography this past September when I made some of the small Picasso collages. I dont think anything of those readings entered into the work. I read some Picasso poetry and I dont think the verse entered the work either. Im not sure I really think about whether other mediums like music and literature affect what Im working on.
Is there a particular period of Pablo Picassos oeuvre that inspired you for your own work?
The Rose period is some of my favourite work by Picasso. I loved how he used black and white photographs of classical Greek and Roman sculpture and made impressions of these images. I also like the artist and model series. Its subject matter thats there everyday. He never lets go of the body.
Are the nude women from soft porno magazines of the fifties or sixties? Or could this be my own projection?
The figures are from anatomy books. How to draw the figure books. Recently published. Theyre very generic. They dont belong to anyone. They are put out for people who want to draw the figure.
Do you think that by masking them with Picasso motifs makes them more anonymous or familiar, due to the popularity of Picassos masks?
I think I found a way into these figures by drawing faces on the backs of their heads. Using the blank dark space of the hair as space to put a face on. When I found this way in
my contribution
I knew it was time to get it on
Which of todays artists, writers, musicians or film makers are relevant for you? And which of these would help to give further insight into your work?
Im affected by all kinds of things. Just like any other artist. Maybe the most affecting thing for me is the newspaper. Everyday I read it and theres all kinds of stuff in it that gets me going.
Could you comment on the different ways (if any) you deal with W. de Kooning and P. Picasso?
Paying homage to de Kooning was more specific
it started out as an extension of my hippie drawings and I was pretty much focused on his women series. Picasso was more general. Hes who I grew up with. Ive always made drawings after Picasso. Ever since I was a kid. Drawing is the base, the foundation for most of what I do. Even if its just making a straight line.