Rene Ricard Quotes

Powerful Rene Ricard for Daily Growth

About Rene Ricard

Rene Ricard (1941-2011) was an American poet, art critic, and a pivotal figure in the New York City art scene of the late 20th century. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he spent his formative years in Brooklyn before moving to Manhattan where he became deeply involved with the city's vibrant avant-garde arts community. Ricard's influences were diverse, encompassing literature, poetry, and the visual arts. He was particularly captivated by the works of Jean Cocteau, Rimbaud, and Gertrude Stein, as well as the Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. His unique fusion of these diverse artistic influences would come to define his own artistic voice. Ricard is perhaps best known for his groundbreaking essays and criticism that appeared in Interview magazine, Artforum, and Avalanche, a journal he co-founded with Walter Robinson and Sally Steponkus. His iconic essay "The Art World: AIDS, and Me" (1987) was a poignant exploration of the impact of the AIDS crisis on the art world, written in the context of Ricard's own struggle with HIV. One of Ricard's most significant contributions to the art world was his championing of Jean-Michel Basquiat, whom he dubbed "the new cool" in a seminal 1978 essay for Artforum. This endorsement played a crucial role in catapulting Basquiat to international fame. Ricard's poetry, characterized by its lyrical intensity and stream-of-consciousness style, has been published in numerous anthologies and collections, including "The American Poets: From the Beat Generation to the Present" (1993) and "Grammars of Knowing: The Selected Poetry of René Ricard" (2016). Throughout his life, Rene Ricard's work intertwined poetry, criticism, and a deep love for art, creating a unique narrative that continues to resonate in the contemporary art world.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Poetry is a form of pure information."

Rene Ricard's quote suggests that poetry is not just an artistic expression, but it carries significant, essential information in a condensed and often abstract format. This "information" could refer to emotions, ideas, or philosophical concepts, making poetry a powerful tool for communicating complex thoughts and feelings in a succinct manner.


"The true poet is not an artist but a medium, like a radio or television set."

Rene Ricard's quote suggests that a true poet is not an originator of ideas or emotions but rather a conduit for expressing universal truths and emotions. Like a radio or TV, the poet tunes into these frequencies and transmits them to the audience. In other words, the poet's role is to channel and amplify the collective human experience, making it accessible to others. This perspective underscores the idea that art serves as a bridge between individual creativity and universal truth, allowing us to connect with each other on a deeper level.


"Art is either plagiarism or revolution."

Rene Ricard's quote, "Art is either plagiarism or revolution," suggests that all art is either a reinterpretation or transformation of existing work (plagiarism in its broadest sense) or an innovative break from tradition and established norms (revolution). In essence, Ricard posits that creativity often stems from building upon past works or pushing boundaries to create something new.


"Artists are the antennae of the race."

Rene Ricard's quote, "Artists are the antennae of the race," suggests that artists serve as sensitive detectors or receptors for broader societal awareness and change. Artists tap into the collective consciousness, subtly perceiving shifts in culture, values, and ideas before they become widely accepted. They transform these insights into creative expressions, acting as conduits through which society can process complex emotions, questions, and possibilities. In this way, artists help society evolve, much like antennae pick up signals that guide an organism's actions.


"Art must be free; it must be free to offend as well as to please."

Rene Ricard's quote "Art must be free; it must be free to offend as well as to please" emphasizes the importance of artistic expression being unfettered, with the freedom to explore a wide range of themes and ideas without fear of censorship or backlash. This includes having the liberty to create works that may provoke discomfort or disagreement, as long as it is an authentic reflection of the artist's vision. In essence, Ricard argues that true artistic freedom necessitates the ability to challenge societal norms and engage in critical discourse through creative means.


I asked someone once why he liked Jean-Michel's work and why it was being singled out for acclaim, and he said, 'Because it looks like art.' But then again, art doesn't always look like art at first. The way the space shuttle that lifts off doesn't much resemble the space shuttle as it lands.

- Rene Ricard

Why, Resemble, Acclaim, Singled

Women are really beautiful in their forties, and men seem to come of age around the period of their second wife.

- Rene Ricard

Wife, Come, Period, Women Are

I pledge allegiance to the living, and I will defend art from history. I will rescue art from the future, from its attrition into taste, and from the speculative notion that it will become more valuable with time.

- Rene Ricard

Art, Living, Attrition, Pledge

I had to make my history quick because there would be no future, merely a gossamer world blown about on the zeitgeist, till zeitgeist, the wind of the times, is blasted away by kamikaze, the wind of God.

- Rene Ricard

Away, Quick, Till, Wind

I want my soldiers - I mean artists - to be young and strong, with tireless energy performing impossible feats of cunning and bravura.

- Rene Ricard

Strong, Cunning, Tireless, Feats

I honestly don't need much money. People love to buy me drinks. Hostesses love to feed me. Famous artists lavish me with expensive artworks, and heiresses do the same with jewels that I promptly lose.

- Rene Ricard

Love, Famous, Honestly, Jewels

I don't have a philosophy in a nutshell; I would go on and on too much.

- Rene Ricard

Go, Would, Too, Nutshell

My work is all that I think about because I spent so many years not doing anything. Therefore, work pleases me, which is success in itself.

- Rene Ricard

Doing, Think, Which, Pleases

Charles James was a dear friend of mine when I was a little boy - 17, 18. He was mad as a hatter. I had no idea how famous he was.

- Rene Ricard

Famous, Idea, Mine, Dear

I hate having my picture taken. Ten years ago, I stopped having a good side.

- Rene Ricard

Side, Stopped, Having, Ten

To support myself as a kid, I was a model at art schools around Boston.

- Rene Ricard

Art, Myself, Boston, Schools

You don't know how pretty you are when you're young. Just being young is beautiful. And I was astonishingly pretty - you know, very skinny.

- Rene Ricard

Young, Pretty, Very, Skinny

I should be paid to go out. You see, I'm good for business. I class up a joint.

- Rene Ricard

Business, Good, Go, Joint

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