Adam Cullen merges social satire with technicolour excess. An ‘enfant terrible’ of the art world, he launched onto the Australian art scene by chaining a pig’s head to his ankle for two weeks. This punk stunt was followed by a career spent painting tough, uncompromising and challenging subjects, captured with a pop art twist.

‘Playtime’ is an off-kilter portrait of a blonde bombshell. A woman dripping in paint takes centre stage, holding a gun and winking at the viewer, her hair bouncy and shoes bright red. She evokes and subverts blonde archetypes of popular culture – Alice of Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella and Lola Bunny – presented here with an undercurrent of violence.

Exploring masculinity, crime and animalism, Cullen’s work is imbued with an unexpected vulnerability. In his lifetime, he was a winner and multi-time Archibald Prize finalist, honoured with a 2008 retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and an Art Hotel in Prahran, cementing him as one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists.

This hand-signed Printers Proof comes with a Letter of Provenance and will invigorate collectors of pop and contemporary art or those seeking an edge for their space.

Adam CULLEN (1965 - 2012)
'Playtime ' 2003
screenprint on paper
Edition of 50
Image Size: 85 x 62 cm
Dimensions: 100 x 71 cm
Signed: Editioned, titled signed lower right
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Printed on 310g Fabriano Tiepolo cotton rag paper, from hand built separation, printed with Matisse M22 print paste and Matisse structure acrylic paint on Gesso primed rag paper

Condition: Very Good: Describes a work of art's image as Excellent, but may show some small signs of surrounding wear to paper. There are no tears to paper margin or disruption to the image surface.

(c) Adam Cullen / Copyright Agency