Richard Prince Appropriates Instagram: Genius or Charlatan?

In the world of appropriation art, there are few that can hold a candle to the notoriety that Richard Prince has built over the past five decades. ...

In the world of appropriation art, there are few that can hold a candle to the notoriety that Richard Prince has built over the past five decades. From cowboys to Rastafarians, his use of other people’s photos as source material for his art has led to numerous lawsuits and a frenzy of conversation around whether what he’s doing is “art” or not.

For the past few years, Prince has looked to Instagram for source material and has created his newest work by inserting a fake comment and selling the work for $90,000. A recent show at Detroit’s Museum of Contemporary Art stirred up more controversy because one of the images he appropriated was taken by childhood sexual assault survivor and sex educator Zoë Ligon.

In this episode of Vision Slightly Blurred, Sarah and Allen compare Prince’s work to that of Andy Warhol, build an argument against appropriation art, discuss how celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski complicate matters, and counter argue the value of Prince’s work.

We mention the following photographers, articles, and websites in this episode:

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