The Unfunniest Richard Prince Joke

a richard prince joke drawing from 1986 with handwritten text in the center of a blank white sheet of paper that reads, "Jewish man talking to his friend: 'If I die I'll see you Tuesday. If I don't I'll see you Wednesday.'" via Sotheby's
Richard Prince, Untitled, 1986, 7 x 11.25 in., to be sold on 16 Nov 2023 as Lot 474 in Sotheby’s Contemporary Day Sale, from the estate of Chara Schreyer.

Whether the earliest drawings or the monochrome paintings, or anything in between or since, Richard Prince’s joke works were never meant to be funny. But this one feels like it got 100x more unfunny lately. Oh, to go back to the days when it could be the title of a publicity stunt auction instead of the harbinger and reminder of quotidian violence.