The Entertainers

Published by Fulton Ryder in 2023, this 152-page artist's book features The Entertainers (1982–83), an early series of photographs made during Prince's 'Time Life' years spent around the theaters, grind houses, bars and restaurants of New York's 42nd Street and Times Square. The photographs manipulate publicity shots of aspiring singers, actors, and models, softening their focus, heightening their contrast, and adding garish colors and graphic elements that capture the area's sleazy glamour. The volume includes 135 color plates documenting this rarely exhibited body of work. Prince's introductory text 'The Counterfeit Memory' (1981) describes his experiences compiling tear sheets for magazines and spending time in adult film theaters, restaurants, and bars. The book concludes with another text by the artist entitled 'The Lone Ranger.'