In the 1960s Richard Pettibone began producing unique miniature reproductions of artwork created by modern masters such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns and Frank Stella. These small jewel-like works are celebrations of the original modern masterpieces. Towering pioneers of Pop Art are reduced to pocket-sized hand painted silkscreens and canvases. Suffused with wit and humour, Pettibone¡¯s works are a conceptual investigation into originality. It can be argued that for Pettibone, art history is subject matter.
It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of ideas espoused by the work of Pettibone in relation to contemporary art. From the Chapman Brothers¡¯ modification of mint condition etchings by Francisco Goya to Shepherd Fairy¡¯s use of political photography in his creation of Barack Obama campaign posters, conversations and controversies concerning appropriation continue to preoccupy artists. Already Famous presents work of masterful skill, critical acclaim and artistic innovation by a pioneer of appropriation.
