Raymond Pettibon
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Raymond Pettibon (born 1957) is an artist known for his comic-like drawings with disturbing, ironic or ambiguous captions. His subject matter is sometimes violent and anti-authoritarian. He works primarily in ink on paper and many of his drawings are monochromatic, although he sometimes introduces color through the use of crayon, pencil, or watercolor. In addition to his paper works, Pettibon has experimented with video art and has recently produced large art installations by arranging his paper works within a room in the context of larger drawings made on the walls of the galley.
Pettibon earned an economics degree from UCLA and worked as a high school mathematics teacher for a short period, before pursuing a career in art in 1977.
In the 1980s, his brother, Greg Ginn, played guitar in the influential band Black Flag. Initially, Pettibon had been a bass player in the group when it was known by the name Panic. When the band discovered that another band called Panic existed, Pettibon suggested the name Black Flag and designed their distinctive "four bars" logo.
Pettibon's artwork appeared on flyers and records for Black Flag and became well known in the Los Angeles punk rock scene. He soon started producing artwork for other bands on the SST Records label, including The Minutemen and Sonic Youth. He also released numerous books through the label, though most are now out of print and sometimes command high prices.
Since then, he has gained acclaim in the international art scene, with his first major exposition in 1995. His works are included in the permanent collections of public galleries throughout the world, including a large collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles have all exhibited Pettibon's artwork.
In 2002 Pettibon gained more widespread popular exposure when the Foo Fighters commissioned him to design the artwork for their One by One album.
In 2004 he was the recipient of the prestigious Bucksbaum Award[1] (http://www.artdaily.com/section/news/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=10289). The $100,000 prize is awarded biennially to a solo artists who has exhibited at the Whitney Biennial. The prize has increased interest in Pettibon's work; a few weeks later one of his ink on paper works commanded a record $66,000 at auction[2] (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HMU/is_9_31/ai_n6237683).
Also in 2004, he can be seen working on some new pieces in Mike Watt's music video for "Tied A Reed 'Round My Waist", while Watt shows the camera some other recently finished Pettibon works.
He currently lives in Hermosa Beach, California.
External Links
- A few flyers for Black Flag shows, from Mike Watt's homepage: [3] (http://www.hootpage.com/hoot_pettibon_bf-flyers.html)
- pbs.org Art21: Raymond Pettibon (includes images and interviews) (http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/pettibon/)
- Mike Watt's "Tied A Reed 'Round My Waist" video, featuring Raymond Pettibon at work (link recommended for cable/DSL users) (http://www.mikestheater.com/watt/tie%20a%20ried/tied.htm)