DescriptionIn 1986, Prince was experimenting with writing jokes on a variety of surfaces. His first show of Joke artwork, at 'International With Monument' in 1985, consisted of handscrawled jokes on unadorned pieces of paper.
In 1986, a year before he began silkscreening jokes on canvas, Prince discovered three demo blank tapes, each with approximately 3 minutes of empty tape. According to Prince, he "performed" the joke on the tape, reciting it over much the way a nightclub comedian would perform the joke before a live audience. Prince then wrote the joke on the cover of the demo tape, signed and dated it. It isn't clear if Prince actually spoke the joke onto the tape as only one of the tapes has been listened to. That tape did not reveal the presence of a human voice, just background white noise.
A scarce and unique work in an exceptionally rare format.
Signed and dated by Richard Prince on jacket spine.
