Richard Pettibone
ROY LICHTENSTEIN 'MASTERPIECE’ 1962, 1975
Acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas in artist's frame
7 3/4 x 7 1/2 in
19.7 x 19.1 cm
Available at Surovek Gallery
When I was in art school I was told that there were two things I should never do if I wanted to be a successful artist: copy other people's work and repeat myself.
– Richard Pettibone.
The dictionary defines appropriation as the artistic practice or technique of reworking images from well-known paintings, photographs, or other works into one's own. Appropriation often begins with inspiration.
If the saying, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, then Richard Pettibone (1938-2024) was one of the sincerest people in the art world, but not the only one.
French artist Jean Ingres (1780-1867) was inspired by ancient Roman art. Manet was inspired by the are of Titian. Courbet was inspired by Hokusai. Van Gogh was inspired by Millet, Delacroix and the Japanese prints that he collected. Andy Warhol was inspired by religious and commercial images. His screenprint of St. Apollonia, 1984, available at Surovek Gallery, is an appropriation of Piero della Francesca’s painting, done c.1455 that hangs in the National Gallery in Washington.
Warhol’s Campbell’s soup can paintings were shown at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in 1962. The Campbell’s soup company was going to sue Warhol for appropriating their design. They rethought their decision and bought some of the paintings to display at the company’s headquarters.
Richard Pettibone, who had just graduated from the Otis Art Institue in California in 1962, with an MFA degree, saw the exhibit of Warhol’s soup cans.. He saved the poster from the show and recreated Warhol’s work in miniature, changing the colors and even the soup flavors.
Roy Lichtenstein appropriated comic strip cells to create many of his works, incorporating the Benday Dot patterns that were part of the comic book printing process, into his work. Pettibone copied Lichtenstein’s works in miniature.
Pettibone miniaturized works in paint and sculpture, crediting the original artist, while making each work his own. Richard Pettibone died on August 19, 2024 at his home in upstate New York. He was 86. His wife told the New York Times that his final works were miniatures that included dialogue from the Barbie movie.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the works of Richard Pettibone, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, available at Surovek Gallery.
References:
Richard Sandomir. Richard Pettibone, Master of the Artistic Miniature, Dies at 86. The New York Times. September 30, 2024.
Alex Greenberger. Richard Pettibone, Artist Who Appropriated Others’ Paintings for His Own Work, Dies at 86. Artnews. September 13, 2024.
