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In the center of a royal blue field of color, Ricard has scrawled “Jasper Johns over 34,000,000 sold”. Ricard’s work brims with cultural references: with this statement he positions the famed artist as a best-selling product. This monotype is a beautiful impression: vibrant blue with metallic drops of ink. It was printed on non-archival studio paper and the tone of the paper has naturally aged. The artist tore down the paper, and there is variegation along the edges of the sheet. Ricard enjoyed painting on unusual surfaces and working on the fly so this is characteristic of his creative method. The print is signed with his initials RR and is one of only three printed in blue.
As a published poet and art critic, Ricard often blurred the lines between poetry and visual art. Ricard’s 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 has signed his name with silver pen, instead of the pencil typical of prints.
Rene Ricard
Jasper Johns, 1990
monotype on paper
36 x 47 in. / 91 x 119 cm
Signed by the artist with initials lower right of plate in blue pen.
