Spiritual America (gallery)

Spiritual America was a short-lived, artist-run gallery that operated on Manhattan's Lower East Side from October 1983 to March 1984. Located at 5 Rivington Street in the apartment space of artist Kim Fine, the gallery became notorious for exhibiting Richard Prince's controversial rephotograph of a nude image of child actress Brooke Shields [1][4]. The gallery represented a pivotal moment in 1980s art culture, challenging conventional boundaries between art, commerce, and voyeurism while launching careers of several now-prominent artists.

The gallery operated with irregular hours and appointment-only viewings, creating an exclusive, almost clandestine atmosphere that heightened the transgressive nature of the work it displayed [4]. Despite its brief existence, Spiritual America became a significant footnote in art history, particularly in discussions of appropriation art and the commodification of childhood imagery.

Origins and Founding

Spiritual America was founded by artist Kim Fine, who converted her apartment at 5 Rivington Street into a makeshift gallery space [1][4]. The gallery was conceived specifically to exhibit Richard Prince's appropriation work "Spiritual America," a rephotograph of a 1970s image of ten-year-old Brooke Shields taken by photographer Gary Gross [4][6].

Writer and gallerist Sandra Schulman collaborated with Fine to operate the gallery, helping to curate and promote the controversial exhibitions [6]. The decision to create a dedicated space for Prince's work reflected the difficulty of finding established galleries willing to exhibit such provocative material, particularly given the legal and ethical concerns surrounding the display of nude images of a minor.

The gallery's name directly referenced Prince's photograph, creating a conceptual unity between the space and its most notorious artwork. This naming choice emphasized the gallery's role as more than just an exhibition venue—it became part of the artistic statement itself.

The Richard Prince Exhibition

The gallery's most significant and controversial moment came with the exhibition of Richard Prince's "Spiritual America." Prince had appropriated a photograph originally taken by Gary Gross in the 1970s, showing a nude ten-year-old Brooke Shields [2][4]. Prince presented the gold-framed work as a critique of American culture's simultaneous sexualization and commodification of childhood innocence.

The installation transformed the gallery viewing experience into something approaching performance art. Prince deliberately compromised the supposed neutrality of the gallery space, forcing visitors into the uncomfortable position of voyeurs [2]. The invite-only nature of the exhibition added to its exclusivity and notoriety, creating a sense of complicity among viewers.

The exhibition raised immediate questions about the boundaries of artistic appropriation, the ethics of displaying images of minors, and the role of context in determining artistic meaning. These concerns would follow Prince's work for decades, with the photograph continuing to generate controversy in subsequent exhibitions and sales.

Other Notable Exhibitions

Beyond the Prince exhibition, Spiritual America showcased work by several artists who would later achieve significant recognition in the contemporary art world. The gallery exhibited pieces by Jeff Koons and Cindy Sherman, both of whom were emerging artists at the time [5]. These exhibitions helped establish the gallery's reputation as a space for cutting-edge, often provocative contemporary art.

Walter Robinson, who later wrote the foreword to a catalog documenting the gallery's brief history, was among the artists featured [5]. The gallery's programming reflected the broader artistic movements of the early 1980s, particularly the rise of appropriation art and conceptual photography that challenged traditional notions of authorship and originality.

The gallery's commitment to showing challenging work attracted attention from collectors, critics, and other artists, despite its unconventional location and limited operating schedule. This attention helped legitimize alternative gallery spaces and demonstrated the viability of artist-run initiatives in New York's competitive art market.

Cultural Impact and Legacy

Spiritual America's brief existence coincided with a transformative period in New York's art scene. The Lower East Side was emerging as an alternative to the established gallery districts of SoHo and the Upper East Side, offering more affordable spaces for experimental and emerging artists [1]. The gallery's success helped establish Rivington Street and the surrounding area as a legitimate destination for serious art viewing.

The gallery's model of artist-run, apartment-based exhibition spaces influenced subsequent generations of alternative art venues. Its combination of exclusivity, controversy, and artistic innovation became a template for galleries seeking to challenge mainstream art world conventions.

In 2005, Richard Prince reopened a gallery under the Spiritual America name at the same 5 Rivington Street address, creating a direct historical connection to the original space [6]. This revival demonstrated the lasting impact of the original gallery's brief but influential run.

Documentation and Historical Record

The gallery's history has been preserved through various documentation efforts, most notably the publication "Spiritual America The Catalog 1983-1984" by Sandra Schulman and Walter Robinson [5]. This catalog includes rarely seen artist portraits by Peter Bellamy and provides insight into the gallery's operations and cultural context.

The documentation efforts reflect the growing recognition of alternative gallery spaces as important sites of art historical significance. The preservation of exhibition records, photographs, and personal accounts has allowed scholars and critics to better understand the role of spaces like Spiritual America in shaping contemporary art discourse.

Related Topics

• Richard Prince
• Appropriation art
• Lower East Side art scene
• Artist-run spaces
• 1980s New York art world
• Alternative galleries
• Cindy Sherman
• Jeff Koons

Summary

Spiritual America was a brief but influential artist-run gallery on Manhattan's Lower East Side that operated from 1983-1984, becoming notorious for exhibiting Richard Prince's controversial appropriation of a Brooke Shields photograph and helping establish the area as an important alternative art destination.