- Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon (born Raymond Ginn on
June 16 ,1957 ) is an American artist and sometime musician and lyricist.Known for his comic-like drawings with disturbing, ironic or ambiguous captions, Pettibon's subject matter is sometimes violent and
anti-authoritarian . From the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, he was closely associated with thepunk rock band Black Flag and the record labelSST Records , both founded by his older brotherGreg Ginn . Beginning in the 1990s, he became a well-known figure in his own right in thecontemporary art scene.He works primarily in ink on paper and many of his drawings are
monochromatic , although he sometimes introduces color through the use ofcrayon ,pencil , orwatercolor . In addition to his paper works, Pettibon has experimented withvideo 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 gallery.Biography
Pettibon earned an economics degree from
UCLA and worked as ahigh school mathematics teacher for a short period, before pursuing a career in art in 1977.In the late 1970s and 1980s, his brother, guitarist/songwriter
Greg Ginn , founded the influentialpunk rock 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. Around the same time Pettibon adopted his new surname, from the nickname "petit bon" (good little one) given to him by his father.cite web
last =Kimmelman
first =Michael
authorlink =Michael Kimmelman
coauthors =
title =The Underbelly Artist
work =The New York Times Magazine
publisher =The New York Times
date =2005-10-9
url =http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/09/magazine/09pettibon.html?pagewanted=4&ei=5088&en=8e70fc2c1e996de7&ex=1286510400&partner=rssnyt
format =
doi =
accessdate =2008-02-10]Pettibon’s artwork appeared on flyers and records for Black Flag through the early 1980s, and he became well known in the Los Angeles
punk rock scene. Black Flag singerHenry Rollins described Pettibon as quiet, something of aloner and an avidjazz fan; Rollins also said Pettibon, like his brother Greg, was profoundly hardworking and disciplined, sometimes producing dozens of drawings per day. [Henry Rollins; "Get In The Van: On The Road With Black Flag"; 2.13.61 Publications, 1994, ISBN 1-880985-23-3]In the 1980s, Pettibon released numerous books through the SST label; most or all of them are now out of print and sometimes command high prices. He soon started producing artwork for other bands on the
SST Records label, including The Minutemen. He had a falling out with Black Flag after drummerBill Stevenson cut up one of Pettibon's drawings to make acollage for one of the lyric sheet of Black Flag's "Loose Nut " album. [Azerrad, Michael. "". Little Brown and Company, 2001. ISBN 0-316-78753-1] In 1990, Pettibon provided the cover art forSonic Youth 's "Goo" LP.Since then, Pettibon has been acclaimed in the international art scene, gaining notoriety after his participation in the controversial 1992 "Helter Skelter" exhibition at the
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles , and having his first major solo exhibition in 1995. His works are included in the permanent collections of public galleries throughout the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and a large collection at theSan Francisco Museum of Modern Art . His work has also been exhibited atThe Renaissance Society at The University of Chicago, thePhiladelphia Museum of Art , and theWhitney Museum of American Art .In 2004 he was the recipient of a
Bucksbaum Award , an award given every two years to an artist who has exhibited at theWhitney Biennial . [ [http://www.whitney.org/www/information/press/150.html "Raymond Pettibon receives 2004 Bucksbaum Award"] (press release), "Whitney Museum of American Art ", May 2004.] The award has increased interest in Pettibon's work; a few weeks after receiving the award, one of his ink-on-paper works commanded a record $66,000 at auction. [ [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HMU/is_9_31/ai_n6237683 "MOCA boasts million-dollar auction"] , "Art Business News", September 2004]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 as well as a Black Flag promotional flyer depictingRichard Nixon . That same year, several of Pettibon's Black Flag flyers were reproduced in the 10th Anniversary Edition ofHenry Rollins ' book "Get In The Van ".Pettibon occasionally dabbles in music, sometimes leading a group called Super Sessions that has played in the Los Angeles area. He has also contributed lyrics to songs on fIREHOSE's "Flyin' The Flannel" and "Mr. Machinery Operator" albums, and in October 2006 made his recording debut as a vocalist on the
Unknown Instructors ' second album "The Master's Voice ".He currently lives in
Hermosa Beach, California where he raises and trains "sporting" dogs for fighting (http://www.believermag.com/issues/200412/?read=interview_pettibon).Raymond Pettibon's new band is called The Nichemaker's and are based in Venice, California. A vinyl album is planned to be released in 2008.
References
External links
* [http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/pettibon/ Biography, interviews, essays, artwork images and video clips] from PBS series "" - Season 2 (2003).
* [http://www.artnet.com/Artists/ArtistHomePage.aspx?artist_id=13422&page_tab=Artworks_for_sale Raymond Pettibon] on Artnet.
* [http://www.regenprojects.com/artists/raymond-pettibon/ Raymond Pettibon] at Regan Projects gallery.
* [http://2ndthought.net/raymondpettibon/gallery.htm Raymond Pettibon Gallery] on 2ndthought.net.
* [http://www.hootpage.com/hoot_pettibon_bf-flyers.html "black flag gig flyers from the early 80's using raymond pettibon artwork"] , "Mike Watt 's Hoot Page", November 22, 1996.
* [http://media.libsyn.com/media/badatsports/Bad_at_Sports__Episode_36_Pettibon.mp3 "Raymond Pettibon Interview"] ,Bad at Sports episode 36. (MP3 audio)
* [http://www.soundnet.org/concerts/mov_refs/2003.shtml#RP Performance with Rudiger Carl] at SASSAS sound. concert archives (links to streamingQuickTime video)
* [http://www.mikestheater.com/watt/tie%20a%20ried/tied.htm Mike Watt's "Tied A Reed 'Round My Waist" video] , featuring Raymond Pettibon at work (links toQuickTime video)
* [http://www.believermag.com/issues/200412/?read=interview_pettibon Raymond Pettibon Interview] by John O’Connor, "The Believer (magazine) ", December 2004 / January 2005
* [http://www.plazm.com/magazine/features/archive/rosler-pettibon Plazm #11 Feature]
* [http://swindlemagazine.com/issueicons/raymond-pettibon/ SWINDLE Magazine Interview]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.