Known as a critic and commentator of American consumer culture, including movies, advertisements, cartoons, and popular jokes, Richard Prince is a painter based in New York. As of 2001, he has a studio in a 1960s prefabricated house in Rensselaerville. In February 2005 in Los Angeles, coinciding with the Oscar Awards, Prince had an exhibition titled "The Check Paintings", which incorporated canceled checks from friends and celebrities.

Born in the Panama Canal Zone, Prince moved to Los Angeles in 1967 when he was an aspiring painter and took a day job illustrating cartoons. He worked in the basement of the Time-Life Building, where he clipped articles from magazines to send to staff writers. At the end of the day, he was left ...