“I just want some
recognition, and I want some understanding.”
Jim Krantz
When John Batterson Stetson
invented his “Boss of the Plains” hat in 1865 he created an icon that for ever
more would identify the American cowboy. An enduring symbol of the American “can
do” ethos equally at home on the head of the working cowboy and the successful
businessman. From presidents to kids on a vacant lot the Stetson identifies the
“home of the brave” if not always the squeaky clean.
American photographer Jim Krantz has photographed hundreds if
not thousands of Stetsons. Best known for his photographs of the Western United
States, Krantz earns his bread and butter from his commercial photography for clients
that range from Philip Morris to Playboy with the ubiquitous hat playing a significant
supporting role.
Over the past seven years
Krantz has been expanding his photographic work into the fine art market. The
impetus for this expansion came about when fellow artist Richard Prince appropriated Krantz’s
photograph from a Marlboro advertisement. Krantz came across it when he attended Prince’s
retrospective exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. There outside the
museum was a poster for the exhibition displaying Prince’s reworking of his
photograph.
In both photographs a Stetson
is the focal point. In Krantz’s version the product (a cigarette) is linked to
the icon, in Prince’s version the icon is the work. Krantz told the New York
Times “When I left, I didn’t know if I should be proud, or if I looked like an
idiot.” And there was not a lot he could do about it.
As is usual with advertising
photography the advertiser claims the copyright for the advertisement and its
content and in this instance Krantz had relinquished his photograph’s copyright
to Marlboro’s parent company Philip Morris. The ensuing uproar over Prince’s appropriation
habits, which he justifies, saying “I never associated advertisements with
having an author,” saw Krantz being offered gallery representation.
That representation has borne
fruit and Krantz has a self titled solo exhibition at New York’s Danziger
Gallery on show until the 21st of March.
And, yes, there are lots of Stetson’s included.
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