Gangs

This book was published on the occasion of the exhibition "Richard Prince: Gangs" at Gladstone New York. Its introductory text records an intimate discussion between the artist and Nancy Spector on the iconic series. Prince placed pilfered images into "gangs" coordinated by subject matter—surfer waves muscle cars biker "chicks" criminals celebrities heavy metal bands. "Gang" was the word used by the photo lab in the early 1980s for the technique of gathering slides into a printed photograph. Spector writes: "There is a defining ethos of criminality in Prince's work. He jailbreaks the art world does what he wants and we as his audience reap the benefit of his renegade vision."