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Pruitt-Early

Paintings for Teenage Boys, Miller Six Pack, (What's on a Man's Mind)

Maker

Pruitt-Early (American)

Title

Paintings for Teenage Boys, Miller Six Pack, (What's on a Man's Mind)

Year

1989

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Geography

Place Made: Western

Dimensions

58.4 x 58.4 x 8.9 cm (23 x 23 x 3 1/2 inches) each of the six panels

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Allen Schuh

Object Number

2010.23.1

Type

Exhibition History

Everyday Things
Contemporary Works from the Collection
Apr 13, 2012 – Feb 24, 2013

Label copy

Paintings for Teenage Boys and Sculpture for Teenage Boys are collaborations by the artist duo Rob Pruitt and Jack Early. In their twenties when they created this work, Pruitt and Early affixed pop culture decals to stretched fabric printed with the Miller beer logo. Marijuana and profanity to sex and motorcycles, the ’80s-era illicit images suggest the boredom and apathy of a generation, filtered through the artists’ perspectives of being both gay and working class. While Pruitt and Early ended their collaboration shortly after creating this work, due in part to a critical backlash for their use of posters of prominent African-Americans in other work of the time, they have also been lauded for engaging with risky subject matter.

Image use

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In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Pruitt-Early (American)
Paintings for Teenage Boys, Miller Six Pack, (What's on a Man's Mind), 1989
Stretched printed fabric with iron-on decals, wrapped in plastic
58.4 x 58.4 x 8.9 cm (23 x 23 x 3 1/2 inches) each of the six panels
Gift of Allen Schuh 2010.23.1

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