Rob Pruitt’s (b. Washington, D.C., 1964) work is rooted in a pop sensibility and a playful critique of art world structures. His conceptual projects have included performance-based artworks like his recent Art Awards, presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (2009, 2010) and modeled after Hollywood awards ceremonies, as well as simple gestures that promote possibilities for creativity in everyday life, as demonstrated in the series 101 Art Ideas You Can Do Yourself (2001). From his glittering paintings of panda bears and sculptural formations of blue jeans to his operative flea markets, Pruitt’s work is always characterized by an incisive humor and exuberant visual flair. His recent work, “The Andy Monument”, a tribute to Warhol, is permanently installed at Union Square.
Upcoming solo exhibitions of Pruitt’s work include Aspen Museum of Art, Aspen. Institutions that have organized solo presentations of his work include Kunstverein Freiburg, Germany (2012), Dallas Contemporary (2011), American Academy in Rome (2008), and the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati (2001). He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions internationally, including Greater New York, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City (2000); Post-POP, Post-PUNK, Museum of Contemporary Art, Washington, D.C. (2000); Protest and Survive, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London (2000); Vantage Point, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2001); The Americans New Art, Barbican Gallery, London (2001); Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai Art Museum (2002); Trade, White Columns, New York (2005);Seeing Double, Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh (2005); General Ideas: Rethinking Conceptual Art 1987-2005, CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco (2005); The Inside Game, Portland Art Center (2006); The Station, Art Basel Miami (2008), Mapping the Studio, Palazzo Grassi (2009); and Pop Life: Art in a Material World, Tate Modern, London (2009).