The secret beneath the deceptively simple name of John Dogg is that of an artistic collaboration between two of the New York art world’s most renowned figures. Working together in the late 80’s, Richard Prince and his friend and collaborator, New York gallerist Colin de Land creatively produced the persona of John Dogg—an anonymous artist until 2003 when Prince acknowledge publicly that it was a joint endeavor between himself and the recently deceased de Land. Collin de Land, the acclaimed art dealer and owner of American Fine Arts, Co. had pioneered the careers of such luminaries as Cady Noland and Mariko Mori.
Prince describes John Dogg as “a minimalist Neal Cassady — was once employed to deliver special cars to buyers by driving them across the country.” (R. Kennedy, “The Duchamp of the Muscle Car,” The New York Times, September 23, 2007) The present lot represents the beginning of Prince’s preoccupation with the automobile, which would transform into a career obsession for the artist. The effortless, American made tire sits snugly within a pristine, pine, Donald Judd-esque box. The tire has been framed, as though it were a piece of fine art, one to be gazed upon and admired. From the present lot and its rubber tire to his infamous Hood sculptures which utilize car hoods as “three dimensional canvases,” cars and their myriad of parts provide endless artistic possibilities for Prince, once even stating, “People just come and drop off parts in the yard.” Prince has tapped into the American infatuation with the automobile, one of religious-like worship. A 1970 Dodge Challenger, the “drive-away” of John Dogg on a getaway from Denver to Los Angeles, only emphasizes this cool fascination. “He did it in 16 hours,” Mr. Prince wrote. “The owner wasn’t expecting the car for three weeks.” (R. Kennedy, “The Duchamp of the Muscle Car,” The New York Times, September 23, 2007)