Stay Ahead of the Game

Joe Brainard American

Not on view

Between 1961 and 1979 Joe Brainard created thousands of small and large drawings, paintings, assemblages, and collages. He created the highly patterned composition of Stay Ahead of the Game using playing cards and a Victorian sun face pulled from the clutter in his New York loft. Even though Brainard was battling personal demons, including heavy drug use, his artistic career reached a high point in 1975, when People magazine published an article about him and Time/Life commissioned two posters; this is the maquette for one of them.

Stay Ahead of the Game, Joe Brainard (American, Salem, Arkansas 1942–1994 New York), Cut and pasted printed paper, ink markers, graphite, and gouache on paper

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