By: Ellen C. Caldwell
for JSTOR Daily
Artist Richard Prince has been making headlines again recently when his 2014 Instagram-sourced “New Portraits” resurfaced last month at Frieze Art Fair New York. Prince scours Instagram for public photos (often sexualized female portraits), adds his own comment, and then enlarges the image and prints it on canvas.
Prince has long been famous for appropriating images, putting his name on them, and selling them for ridiculously high price tags. But he has just met his match with Selena Mooney, founder of the SuicideGirls website. Mooney is selling the original Instagram photos appropriated by Prince for a mere $90 as opposed to his $90,000 charge.
Lynne Cooke’s review of Prince’s 1992 show seems to summarize current reactions to his recent series “New Portraits” presented by the Gagosian Gallery. Cooke theorizes that, like any established brand name, much of his success rests on his earlier reputation…