R. Crumb
- Introduction
- Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contemporary American culture. Crumb is a prolific artist and contributed to many of the seminal works of the underground comix movement in the 1960s, including being a founder of the first successful underground comix publication, Zap Comix, contributing to all 16 issues. He was additionally contributing to the East Village Other and many other publications, including a variety of one-off and anthology comics. During this time, inspired by psychedelics and cartoons from the 1920s and 1930s, he introduced a wide variety of characters that became extremely popular, including countercultural icons Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural, and the images from his Keep on Truckin' strip. Sexual themes abounded in all these projects, often shading into scatological and pornographic comics. In the mid-1970s, he contributed to the Arcade anthology; following the decline of the underground, he moved towards biographical and autobiographical subjects while refining his drawing style, a heavily crosshatched pen-and-ink style inspired by late 19th- and early 20th-century cartooning. Much of his work appeared in a magazine he founded, Weirdo (1981–1993), which was one of the most prominent publications of the alternative comics era. As his career progressed, his comic work became more autobiographical. In 1991, Crumb was inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. He is married to cartoonist Aline Kominsky-Crumb, with whom he has frequently collaborated. Their daughter Sophie Crumb has also followed a cartooning career.
- Wikidata
- Q435278
- Nationality
- American
- Gender
- Male
- Roles
- Artist, Cartoonist, Satirist
- Names
- Robert Crumb, R. Crumb
- Ulan
- 500117024
Exhibitions
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From the Collection: 1960–1969
March 26, 2016–
March 19, 2017 MoMA
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1969
October 25, 2009–
April 5, 2010 MoMA PS1
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Compass in Hand: Selections from The Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawings Collection
April 22, 2009–
January 4, 2010 MoMA
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Glossolalia: Languages of Drawing
March 26–
July 7, 2008 MoMA
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R. Crumb Album cover for Big Brother and the Holding Company, Cheap Thrills 1968
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R. Crumb The Complete Fritz the Cat (1976)
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Various Artists, Harry Anderson, Laurie Anderson, Charles A. Arnold Jr., John Ashbery, Bern Boyle, Lucinda Childs, Jane Comfort, R. Crumb, Dan Dailey, Jimmy DeSana, Evergon, Sandi Fellman, Benno Friedman, April Greiman, Martha Holt, James Hong, Betsey Johnson, Sonia Katchian, Christopher Knowles, Robert Kushner, Stephanie Brody Lederman, Sol LeWitt, Jacqueline Livingston, Joan Livingstone, David Lusby, Joan Lyons, Joseph Masheck, Judith McWillie, Joan Nelsen, Bea Nettles, Jayme Odgers, Richard Olson, Kingsley Parker, Harvey Pekar, Lucio Pozzi, Don Rodan, Martha Rosler, Michael Sorkin, Soul Artists, Stanley Stellar, Michelle Stuart, Benedict Tisa, Curtis Van Buren, Wenda Von Weise, Philip Warner, Robert Wilson Artifacts at the End of a Decade 1981
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R. Crumb God Wants Me to Draw 2003
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Various Artists, Francis Alÿs, Fiona Banner, R. Crumb, Isa Genzken, Anish Kapoor Parkett no. 69 2004
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