AN exhibition of the American critic, poet and artist, Rene Ricard has just opened at the Vito Schnabel Gallery, 455 West 19th Street, New York. The gallery is showing a selection of paintings on canvas, paper and found objects dating from the late 1980s to 2012. Known as “poem paintings”, Ricard merged imagery and text onto antique prints or old photographs that he would find in second-hand stores – layering his words over the original surface or covering it entirely.
Moving from Boston to New York in 1964, when was 18, Ricard became part of the Andy Warhol and the Factory crowd. In the 1980s, Ricard also became a contributor to Art Forum, writing a series of highly influential essays such as in his piece The Radiant Child (1981) in which he famously asked the question: What is it that makes something look like art?
Rene Ricard Untitled (Sometimes it’s ok…), 2012, Oil on linen, 40 x 29 inches (101.6 x 73.7 cm)
© Estate of Rene Ricard; Courtesy Vito Schnabel Gallery
Rene Ricard Growing Up in America, 2007-2008, Charcoal, pastel, and oil on canvas, 96 x 72 inches (243.9 x 183 cm)
© Estate of Rene Ricard; Courtesy Vito Schnabel Gallery
Rene Ricard Boy with Cigarette, 1990, Oil and gold felt-tip marker on linen, 20 x 17 inches (51 x 43.2 cm)
© Estate of Rene Ricard; Courtesy Vito Schnabel Gallery
Rene Ricard Eros, 2008 – 2009, Acrylic, charcoal, Conte crayon, and oil on canvas, 48 x 26 inches (121.9 x 66 cm)
© Estate of Rene Ricard; Courtesy Vito Schnabel Gallery
Rene Ricard Untitled (What Every Young Sissy…), 2007, Acrylic, charcoal, Conte crayon, and oil on canvas, 51 x 33 1/2 inches (129.5 x 85.1 cm)
© Estate of Rene Ricard; Courtesy Vito Schnabel Gallery
Vito Schnabel collaborated closely with the artist during his lifetime and this will be the fifth solo exhibition of Ricard’s work he has worked on.
Rene Ricard: Growing Up In America is a fascinating prelude in advance of a full retrospective hosted by the gallery later in 2023.
by Pia Brynteson
Rene Ricard: Growing Up In America is on until December 18, 2021 at Vito Schnabel Gallery, 455 West 19th Street, New York