By 12, his libidinal yearnings seemed to grow more conventional as he became “fixated” on Sheena Queen of the Jungle.Īs a teenager he “felt hurt and cruelly misunderstood”, particularly by the opposite sex, and decided on becoming a “shadow” in the halls of his high school. At the age of four, he recalls having an erection while humping his aunt’s legs and later finding himself oddly attracted to Bugs Bunny.
Sadly, Charles committed suicide shortly before the film’s release.Ĭrumb reminisces about his nerdy childhood and the strange sexual fantasies he harbored, all of which eventually became evident in his later work. Visiting his brothers, who both are even more reclusive than Robert (Charles was still living with his mother during the film’s shooting, and both he and Maxon seemed to exist in worlds walled off by psychotropic medications and stacks of old books). “Charles introduced to me to comics,” Crumb admits, “and even now I think of winning Charles’s approval whenever I draw.” The film shows that, despite his fame, Crumb still reveres his brother: “He was always much cleverer and funnier than I was.” Charles, in particular, Crumb points to as his major artistic influence, alongside Pieter Brueghel, William Hogarth, and Al Capp. Their unhappy marriage produced five children, but Crumb focuses mainly on his three brothers: Robert, Charles, and Maxon (his sisters declined to be interviewed … perhaps for reasons soon to be made apparent). Marines and a housewife who, he claims, abused amphetamines. Crumb is the son of a career officer in the U.S. More than just homage to perhaps the best known of the underground comix artists of the counter-cultural ‘60s, Crumb provides an in-depth analysis of the reclusive man, his troubled family, and his infamously provocative work, which has both won him praise and garnered him criticism bordering on outright disgust. Zwigoff combines biography, interviews with Crumb’s family and friends, and commentary by social and art critics to weave a complex cinematograph masterpiece that became an almost instant classic. Shot over six years and edited three times, Zwigoff managed to create a film of such density that it garnered the attention of critics and the public who would perhaps have overlooked a mere biography of an underground comic-book artist. Crumb is not the type to seek fame and fortune, but he’s left an indelible mark on the comics medium specifically and popular American art in general, which is why producer David Lynch and director Terry Zwigoff found it fitting to film a documentary of Crumb’s life over 15 years ago. Parallel to his exhibition other events took place, like live screenings of films about him and films with related themes, as well as a live performance.Īll visuals of Crumb drawings are ©Paul Morris Gallery + R.Few people outside the world of comic-book fandom may have heard of Robert Crumb, although many of his creations, such as Fritz the Cat, Mr Natural, and the “Keep on Truckin’” image, have made it into the world of popular culture. Without his generous support and help the Van Horn project couldn’t have happened this way. Artistically as well as personally he’s absolutely true to himself. He does uncompromising, strong work and is fearless with his obsessions. (somebody said: “The Brueghel of the 2nd half of the 20th century). I think he’s one of the greatest living artists and wanted to see his work myself in my space. Nevertheless his work wasn‘t exhibited in Germany until now and also was not really present in the perception of the common artworld. He is a gifted draftsman and pursues his work and life with astonishing unconditional fervour. In both his work and in person Robert Crumb embodies what I find important in art. Over the years he developed an artistic body of work which is not only striking through his craftsmanship and intensity, but also through it’s wit and the underlying beauty it conveys. Crumb’s artistic work goes far beyond psychedelic comics. Natural, which he invented when he was part of the so-called “underground comic scene” in the 60s. Robert Crumb is probably most well-known for characters such as Fritz the Cat and Mr. These were all more recent works from 1996 until 2003.
The opening exhibition of Van Horn consisted of 7 original drawings by Robert Crumb in his first solo-show in Germany.
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