Ronnie Cutrone was born in New York in 1948. He was one of the most singular figures of the New York Pop adventure. He was also a privileged witness to artistic movements ranging from Pop to punk.

As early as 1965, still a teenager, he moved in the orbit of the Factory. He took part in performances by the Velvet Underground, the band produced by Andy Warhol. He then became one of the artist’s close collaborators, and his assistant from 1972 to 1982. At the Factory, he worked alongside him on the launch of Interview magazine. Warhol also involved him in several series, including the famous Piss Paintings. He captured life at the Factory in stereoscopic 3D color photographs. They show Warhol at work, as well as his visitors: Mick Jagger, Debbie Harry, Dennis Hopper and Paloma Picasso.

A Post-Pop Imagery

At the same time, he developed his own practice. His work was first shown in 1969, at the Richard Feigen Gallery and the Central Park Outdoor Sculpture Show. In 1978 and 1979, he staged performances and installations at the Mudd Club and the Robert Freidus Gallery. In 1982, he left Warhol to devote himself to his own work. He then had his first solo exhibition at Tony Shafrazi Gallery. That same year, his success at Art Basel brought his work into major collections.

Cutrone developed an instantly recognizable post-Pop imagery. His work starred cartoon heroes: Woody Woodpecker, Bugs Bunny and later Bart Simpson. He often painted them on flags or textiles. Moreover, he loved music, comics, toys and objects found in the street. Emblems, signs and TV commercials inspired him too. In his art, popular imagery reigns supreme.

His influences were as unexpected as they were openly claimed. One was Jimmy Smith, a second-story thief and “action painter” banished from the Factory. Smith thus taught him spontaneity and immediacy. Another was the humor and lifestyle of Francis Picabia. Cutrone explored violence, accidents and what he called the “rubbernecking response.” It is the reflex that makes us stare, fascinated, at crimes and disasters. Christian iconography, however, remained one of his favored fields of study. Behind the characters’ lightness lies a struggle between good and evil. Love, hate, faith and fear blend within it.

Recognition

Ronnie Cutrone regularly exhibited alongside the major figures of the 1980s: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf and Andy Warhol. His work is held by the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum in New York, and by the Brooklyn Museum. It is also in LACMA and MOCA in Los Angeles, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam and the Groninger Museum. Ronnie Cutrone died in New York in 2013.

Ronnie Cutrone in Paris

In 2024, Galerie 75 Faubourg in Paris presented a selection of his works on canvas and paper made between 1981 and 2005. The exhibition was organized with Hedges Projects and Galerie Enrico Navarra.