He is not five stories tall, he is not accompanied by a blue ox, and he did not create the grand canyon by dragging an axe. However, what I have been told is that Robert Crumb doodles masterpieces on placemats in restaurants, and helped a friend with a major expense by drawing them a personal portrait. In fact, a man once unexpectedly showed up on Robert Crumb’s doorstep in France only to be invited back the following week.
The most unexpected treat of R. Crumb’s Underground at Grand Central Art Center is not the premiere of his spool drawings, or the personal documentary of comic book artist Victor Moscoso, but the first-hand accounts from visitors who have a connection to this artist. I have been told of the first issue of Zap someone purchased from a head shop in Philadelphia, and countless other fans herald the Terry Zwigoff documentary Crumb as we politely discuss what brought them to the gallery.
Once inside the exhibition all conversation stops as guests are spellbound by a potent mix of disgust, shock, talent, and nostalgia. People literally spend over an hour in the exhibition reading every single word of the more than fifty panels on display, defying the Getty’s conclusion that people in exhibitions do not read beyond 100 words. I am figuring out, to his generation R. Crumb’s Underground is not just a collection of low brow artwork, it is a tribute to political incorrectness, uncensored thoughts and youth. -Krystal
R. Crumb's Underground continues until August 16
Public Reception this Saturday, August 1, 7-10 pm.
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