@Yerba Buena - SF Mar 16 - July 8, 2007

R. CrumbÂ’s Underground
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Mar 17–Jul 8, 2007
First Floor Galleries
$6 regular/$4 seniors, students & teachers
FREE for YBCA Members and the 1st Tuesday of every month

I canÂ’t say exactly how long IÂ’ve been familiar with R. CrumbÂ’s work but I can definitely say the realm of his influence wormed itÂ’s way into my subconsciousness way before I was even hip to the manÂ’s existence. It wasnÂ’t until the Crumb movie came out during my college years that I made the lightbulb connection as to the whereÂ’s and whyÂ’s I recognized his stuff while at the same time discovering the remarkable impact he had on our pop cultural landscape.

For anyone who grew up or remembers pop culture in the 70s and thereafter, most would have undoubtedly run across his most famous “Keep on Truckin” drawings which sadly he had lost the legal rights to early on. Encouraged by positive reactions to some drawings he had published in some underground newspapers on the east coast, Crumb moved to SF in 1967 and found himself at the epicenter of a countercultural revolution. Through the immense success of his self-published comic ZAP, he eventually was heralded as the founding father of the underground comix movement. If your wondering what the big deal is, consider this: the genius of this man lies in the fact that he was one of the firsts artists to use the comic book format as viable art form to illustrate adult themed stories that often were satirical, sexual, and politically outrageous, paving the way for alternative comics today.

This weekend was the opening of the R. Crumb show at Yerba Buena center for the arts. At itÂ’s peak attendance there was a 20 minute wait in line just to get into the exhibit. The show itself is one room but offers a comprehensive account, chronicling over 40 years of work including early collaborations with his brother Charles to his most recent works of the last few years. If youÂ’re a true Crumb fan expect to spend some considerable time poring over the original comix and drawings they have on display including stuff from Zap, Weirdo, American Splendor, and even covers for the New Yorker.

Unfortunately I didnÂ’t get as many pictures as I wanted since security was pretty uptight about photography during the show. Several times I was harassed by the guards even with my photo pass. Eventually I was declined altogether. So I guess this means youÂ’ll have to go see it for yourself... which IÂ’d say ainÂ’t necessarily a bad thing.

Sort of like waiting for a theme park ride but not.

The world awaits with bated breath for Mr. Natural's profound nugget of wisdom.

There were quite of few of these Aline Crumb portraits.

Funny, I think I can relate.

Um, what is?

Below are some photos that Jesse shot

"YBCA salutes local treasure R. Crumb with an eclectic exhibit of early work, collaborations old and new, and the world premiere of his “spool” drawings. Universally acknowledged as the founder of the underground comic scene, Crumb gained cult popularity for his pioneering Zap Comix and stardom with the Terry Zwigoff documentary Crumb. Extending far beyond comics, the YBCA exhibit shows how his work has grown in philosophical complexity, and highlights his collaborative work, including intimate confessions produced with wife Aline Kominsky-Crumb."

Show runs: Mar 16- Jult 8, 2007
YBCA.ORG {moscomment}