ART CITIES: Zurich-Ronnie Cutrone

Ronnie Cutrone was one of Andy Warhol‘s more notable assistants, partially because of the length of his tenure (10 years from 1972-1982), the sheer number of works in which he was involved, and his use of Warhol’s work as a jumping-off point to contribute to the post-Pop art movement of the 1980s. Though he only started working with Warhol in the early 1970s, Cutrone was a regular amongst the Factory superstars since at least 1965, dancing alongside the Velvet Underground in Warhol’s performance art “happening” the Exploding Plastic Inevitable. 

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Galerie Gmurzynska Archive

The exhibition “Warhol/Cutrone”, juxtaposes Andy Warhol and Ronnie Cutrone, including paintings, drawings, and unique polaroids. Ronny Cutrone was a painter and illustrator known for his Post-Pop imagery featuring cartoon characters like Woody the Woodpecker, Bart Simpson, and Bugs Bunny. Cutrone’s life and career make us remember New York at its creative apex. Reminiscing of another era, Cutrone said, “New York was elegant and sleazy. Now it’s a shopping mall for dot-commers. We need our crime rate back. I want my muggers and hookers back”. Ronnie Cutrone was born in New York City and was already partying in the local art scene by the time he reached high school. He also studied art at the School of Visual Arts NYC. He became more directly involved with Warhol while working on his own photography during the production of Warhol’s 1964 film “”Soap Opera (burgeoning producer Vincent Fremont was assisting as well), eventually being invited to work at Interview magazine as a contributor of “goings-on” in music and art. The end of Cutrone’s work for Interview coincided with the start of his assistant work. Working in synergistic fashion with Warhol, Cutrone helped execute some of the artist’s most iconic silkscreens. The duo’s collaborations countenance: “Hand Tinted Flowers” (ca. 1972), “Invisible Sculpture” (1972-83), “Drag Queens/Ladies and Gentlemen” (1974-75), “Oxidation (Piss Paintings)” (mid-late 1970s), “Sex Parts/Torso” (mid-1970s), “Hammer & Sickle” (1976-1977), “Skulls” (1976-77), “”Gems (1978), “Shadow Paintings” (1979), and “Butcher Knives, Guns, Dollar Signs” (1982). With Andy Warhol one special focus of this exhibition is on his unique polaroids. Many of Warhol’s polaroid photographs have never been exhibited before and feature stars such as Grace Jones, Joseph Beuys, Keith Haring, Lou Reed and Candy Darling. Cutrone’s three-dimensional photographs of the Factory, shown publicly as well for the first time ever, give a historic and unprecedented peek into Warhol’s circle. While with Ronnie Cutrone the focus of this exhibition is on his cartoon-infused painting, sculpture and drawings which shocked the New York scene in the 1980s. These works garnered him major solo shows in the inaugural Post-Pop wave, whilst igniting debates over the sanctity of the American symbols such as the flag and Mickey Mouse.  After 1983, Ronnie Cutrone would leave Warhol’s Factory to become a major contemporary artist, with showings at the Whitney, MoMA, and Brooklyn museums. His works depicts certain characters of older popular culture, including Donald Duck, Woody Woodpecker, and Felix the Cat, in lavishly colorful settings, often superimposed on versions of the American flag.  He also helped design and run the iconic Mudd Club, a venue crucial to the late 70s NYC music scene frequented by the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Debbie Harry, and David Byrne. Sensitive to the historical and political facts that affect the reality of his country, starting in 2001, after the tragic events of September 11th, Cutrone’s artististic “path” displayed a sense of melting “like an ice cream”, and with this were born two new series of work: the Red cross, crosses of blood, and the Cell girls (so-called latent terrorist cells that are however ready to attack), which continue to be joined by the “decadent” myths of the American super hero.

Photo: Ronnie Cutrone, Brillo Soup, 1999. Oil on canvas, 103 x 153 cm, 40.5 x 60.2 inches, Courtesy Galerie Gmurzynska

 Info: Curator: James Hedges, Galerie Gmurzynska, Paradeplatz 2, Zürich, Switzerland, Duration: 14/6-30/9/2025, Days & Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00-18:30, Sat 10:00-16:00, www.gmurzynska.com/