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Rene Ricard Art

American, 1946-2014
Born Albert Napoleon, artist Rene Ricard moved to New York in the 1960s at the age of 18. With that relocation, Albert died, and Rene was born. Instantly adopted into Andy Warhol’s glittering orbit, Ricard thrived in the city, with its heady concentration of art, culture, and debauchery. He acted in underground films, playing Warhol in the artist’s own Andy Warhol Story, and was lauded by the New York Times in 1981 as “splendid” for his turn in the independent film Underground USA. He was a renowned art writer who launched the careers of artist like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring with his poetic essays. In New York, Ricard found the center of his life. In his memoir “Rene Ricard” painter and close friend William Rand calls the artist “the Baudelaire of Avenue C…a brilliant, elusive and glamorous underground figure” adding that Rene’s stomping ground, the East Village, was a “…Halloween show all year round: squatters…hustlers, freaks…” Ricard could be found at any given time of day or night walking these streets, linking up with an endless stream of friends and acquaintances. The city’s underbelly was a bustling hub of culture: one could find artists, critics, gallerists and poets such as Nan Goldin, Julian Schnabel, Francesco Clemente, Bill Stelling, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Allen Ginsburg mingling in the same gritty milieu. Like the rapidly-changing city, Rene's life was in flux: he moved between living situations and struggled intermittently with addiction, leaving a trail of makeshift canvases and alternately bleak, tender, and acerbic poetry. He had gained prominence and fame as an art critic and poet throughout the 1960s and 70s, but his nascent painting career took shape after gaining the attention of the Petersburg Press Gallery. They were to present his first exhibition in New York in 1990. The upcoming show proved to be a motivating force, harnessing Ricard's raw talent by providing him with studio assistants and a place to work at Petersburg’s studio on Lafayette Street. The show was to be entitled “Mal de Fin”. French for "Bad End", Mal de Fin may be a play on "fin de siècle": the end of an era and the beginning of another, and "mal du siècle": sickness of the century, a phrase attributed to the 18th/19th century French writer François-René de Chateaubriand. Chateaubriand’s notion of turn-of-the-century ennui no doubt resonated with the famously moody artist, and Ricard’s name change may have been inspired by Chateaubriand’s first name François-René. Mal de Fin’s body of work reflected not only his wild lifestyle, but the artist’s interest in spirituality, literature, and art itself.
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The Limp by Rene Ricard abstract poetry painting
The Limp by Rene Ricard abstract poetry painting

The Limp by Rene Ricard abstract poetry painting

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

The Limp conjures the image of Rene consumed with energy and righteousness, then resignation: "He was pushing the door in, I was pushing him out / He won". The words are scrawled in ...

Category

1980s Abstract Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Screen

Jasper Johns over 34, 000, 000 sold, by Rene Ricard text art satire
Jasper Johns over 34, 000, 000 sold, by Rene Ricard text art satire

Jasper Johns over 34, 000, 000 sold, by Rene Ricard text art satire

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

In the center of a royal blue field of color, Ricard has scrawled “Jasper Johns over 34,000,000 sold”.  Ricard’s work brims with cultural references: with this statement he positions...

Category

1990s Abstract Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Monoprint, Monotype

David Shapiro: Rene Ricard vintage poetry tombstone print "carved in stone"
David Shapiro: Rene Ricard vintage poetry tombstone print "carved in stone"

David Shapiro: Rene Ricard vintage poetry tombstone print "carved in stone"

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

The title of this poetic, abstract work is written across the top of the sheet. The hand-written cursive below reads: "David Shapiro / Told me he was going to / Carve his poems in stone / "That's one way to make them lost" / I don't have to / Rene Ricard". A poet, art historian and art critic, David Shapiro was friends with Ricard, and a part of the 1980's art scene in New York. Shapiro became famous briefly during the 1968 anti-Vietnam student uprising at Columbia University, when a photograph of him smoking a cigar behind the desk of the Columbia University president was published in Life magazine, and he became the face of the student protest...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry
I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry

I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Abstract yellow and black Rene Ricard print with hand painted poetry on handmade paper. Printed in black ink at the top of the sheet and framed with a thin line, the artist's loose h...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

Monet Portrait of Jeanne Duval: Ricard drawing vintage typewriter love poetry
Monet Portrait of Jeanne Duval: Ricard drawing vintage typewriter love poetry

Monet Portrait of Jeanne Duval: Ricard drawing vintage typewriter love poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. Here, Ricard traverses visual art, text, and the pleasure of sculptural trompe-l’œil with this printed drawing of melancholy hand-written and typed love poetry, composed with natural earthen shades of antique white and brown. Monet Portrait of Jeanne Duval...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

Love in Brooklyn by Rene Ricard poetry painting
Love in Brooklyn by Rene Ricard poetry painting

Love in Brooklyn by Rene Ricard poetry painting

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Love in Brooklyn, painted in baby blue, light pink, and pale green, depicts a stark image of Brooklyn, which had not yet seen the development spreading across Manhattan: “Love in Bro...

Category

1990s Abstract Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Screen

Rene Ricard Red Blue Nasty, 1989 poetry painting Keith Haring reference
Rene Ricard Red Blue Nasty, 1989 poetry painting Keith Haring reference

Rene Ricard Red Blue Nasty, 1989 poetry painting Keith Haring reference

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Frustration is center stage, written in cursive: "It's one of those days nothing works out right -- bump into any sharp corner – can’t tell flesh from white or brown from…or green fr...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Screen

Gigi: red black abstract print with poetry based on 1950s vintage movie poster
Gigi: red black abstract print with poetry based on 1950s vintage movie poster

Gigi: red black abstract print with poetry based on 1950s vintage movie poster

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. This red and black lithograp...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

Michele Maria: bright yellow red Maria Callas opera artist portrait with poetry
Michele Maria: bright yellow red Maria Callas opera artist portrait with poetry

Michele Maria: bright yellow red Maria Callas opera artist portrait with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. In this bright yellow, red, ...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen, Woodcut

Dangerous Liaisons: Yellow, red, Tiffany blue abstract print with poetry
Dangerous Liaisons: Yellow, red, Tiffany blue abstract print with poetry

Dangerous Liaisons: Yellow, red, Tiffany blue abstract print with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. In this abstract painted composition, Ricard combines expressive poetry with vibrant color. A bright yellow forms the background for two rounded rectangles printed...

Category

1990s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Unhappily Dead: Rene Ricard poetry of 1980s Chelsea New York life rainbow
The Unhappily Dead: Rene Ricard poetry of 1980s Chelsea New York life rainbow

The Unhappily Dead: Rene Ricard poetry of 1980s Chelsea New York life rainbow

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. In this rainbow print, Ricar...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

Taxis, Rene Ricard lithograph of New York City life in grey blue with poetry
Taxis, Rene Ricard lithograph of New York City life in grey blue with poetry

Taxis, Rene Ricard lithograph of New York City life in grey blue with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Lithograph on butcher paper. Signed lower middle of plate in blue pen. One of 21 signed, unnumbered lithographs, this impression is in gray/blue ink. In the center of a grey-blue fie...

Category

1990s Abstract Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

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Previously Available Items
I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry
I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry

I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Abstract yellow and black Rene Ricard print with hand painted poetry on handmade paper. Printed in black ink at the top of the sheet and framed with a thin line, the artist's loose h...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

Jasper Johns over 34, 000, 000 sold, by Rene Ricard text art satire
Jasper Johns over 34, 000, 000 sold, by Rene Ricard text art satire

Jasper Johns over 34, 000, 000 sold, by Rene Ricard text art satire

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

In the center of a royal blue field of color, Ricard has scrawled “Jasper Johns over 34,000,000 sold”.  Ricard’s work brims with cultural references: with this statement he positions...

Category

1990s Abstract Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Monoprint, Monotype

Cross dressing (pink) Rene Ricard oil painting with poetry
Cross dressing (pink) Rene Ricard oil painting with poetry

Cross dressing (pink) Rene Ricard oil painting with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Rene Ricard at his edgiest – entitled Cross Dressing, this abstract painting’s scribbled text describes Jesus Christ’s crucifixion garb as a form of gender-bending. A fiery haze of y...

Category

1980s Abstract Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Pen

I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry
I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry

I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Abstract yellow and black Rene Ricard print with hand painted poetry on handmade paper. Printed in black ink at the top of the sheet and framed with a thin line, the artist's loose h...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

Dangerous Liaisons: Yellow, red, Tiffany blue abstract print with poetry
Dangerous Liaisons: Yellow, red, Tiffany blue abstract print with poetry

Dangerous Liaisons: Yellow, red, Tiffany blue abstract print with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. In this abstract painted composition, Ricard combines expressive poetry with vibrant color. A bright yellow forms the background for two rounded rectangles printed...

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1990s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

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Lithograph

I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry
I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry

I Dreamed by Rene Ricard: abstract yellow and black brushwork with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Abstract yellow and black Rene Ricard print with hand painted poetry on handmade paper. Printed in black ink at the top of the sheet and framed with a thin line, the artist's loose h...

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1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

Michele Maria: bright yellow red Maria Callas opera artist portrait with poetry
Michele Maria: bright yellow red Maria Callas opera artist portrait with poetry

Michele Maria: bright yellow red Maria Callas opera artist portrait with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. In this bright yellow, red, ...

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1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

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Lithograph, Screen, Woodcut

This is not a Thanksgiving pumpkin Rene Ricard FRAMED autumnal painting orange
This is not a Thanksgiving pumpkin Rene Ricard FRAMED autumnal painting orange

This is not a Thanksgiving pumpkin Rene Ricard FRAMED autumnal painting orange

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene, swinging effortlessly betwee...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Oil

Dangerous Liaisons: Yellow, red, Tiffany blue abstract print with poetry
Dangerous Liaisons: Yellow, red, Tiffany blue abstract print with poetry

Dangerous Liaisons: Yellow, red, Tiffany blue abstract print with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. In this abstract painted composition, Ricard combines expressive poetry with vibrant color. A bright yellow forms the background for two rounded rectangles printed...

Category

1990s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

David Shapiro
David Shapiro

Rene RicardDavid Shapiro, 1989

Sold

H 31 in W 24.25 in

David Shapiro

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Paper 31 in. x 24.25 in. / 78.74 cm x 61.6 cm Lithograph on German Etching paper. Edition 27: this impression 21/27. Signed by the artist lower right in red pencil; numbered 21/27 i...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gigi: red black abstract print with poetry based on 1950s vintage movie poster
Gigi: red black abstract print with poetry based on 1950s vintage movie poster

Gigi: red black abstract print with poetry based on 1950s vintage movie poster

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. This red and black lithograp...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph

Michele Maria: bright yellow red Maria Callas opera artist portrait with poetry
Michele Maria: bright yellow red Maria Callas opera artist portrait with poetry

Michele Maria: bright yellow red Maria Callas opera artist portrait with poetry

By Rene Ricard

Located in New York, NY

Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. In this bright yellow, red, ...

Category

1980s Contemporary Rene Ricard Art

Materials

Lithograph, Screen, Woodcut

Rene Ricard art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Rene Ricard art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Rene Ricard in lithograph, screen print, woodcut print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Rene Ricard art, so small editions measuring 20 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Corita Kent, Evan Colbert, and Brad Brown. Rene Ricard art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,850 and tops out at $3,800, while the average work can sell for $2,875.

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