Home Shopping

Do you ever go shopping in your own house (or your parent’s house, as the case may be)? It’s my new favorite thing to do when I’m home. Er, aside from seeing friends and communing with my family and pets, none of whom I see enough of these days. And while my parents won’t just give up and give me that little table in the family room, they are quite generous when it comes to things they aren’t using or items they wouldn’t miss. So imagine my delight when I found this rad poster that they had squirreled away in the basement, sitting in the original shipping tube for the last thirteen years.

Oooh, edgy. The artist is James Rosenquist. If you don’t know about Rosenquist, he was one of the main players of the Pop Art movement of the 60s and continues to produce work today (at age 77, no less). His background as a billboard painter seems to have informed his frequent use of imagery evocative of mid-century advertising, celebrity, and consumer culture. Oh yeah, and his pieces are enormous— according to Wikipedia, he might hold the record for the largest print in the world, 7 x 35 feet. His paintings are fragmented, layered, colorful, and gorgeous. Just do yourself a favor and run a Google Image search or click some of the links above or go see his paintings at any of these museums (including MOMA, New Yorkers!)– you won’t be sorry.

The poster was produced by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, an organization that my dad is involved in. So the poster is a convergence of things for me: an artist I love, a message I admire and believe in, and a symbol of my parents’ character– their strong convictions, hard work ethic, and compulsion to get involved and make change happen. And while the imagery is intense, the message is simple and peaceful:

Too true, Jim, too true.

The frame is that old standby, the RIBBA from IKEA. I had the matte custom-cut a couple of days ago at one of those bazillions of custom framing shops for $30 (cheaper, I might add, than that new Michael’s on the West Side).

And I’m so glad it’s UP. One less f-ing piece of art to endlessly hem and haw over where to hang. Maybe it’ll inspire me to just take the plunge and hang everything else I have lying around.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

About Daniel Kanter

Hi, I'm Daniel, and I love houses! I'm a serial renovator, DIY-er, and dog-cuddler based in Kingston, New York. Follow along as I bring my 1865 Greek Revival back to life and tackle my 30s to varying degrees of success. Welcome!

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21 Comments

  1. 8.31.10

    When I was home this weekend I took back with me a bunch of hockey cards, a jersey, and a Sergei Fedorov wall sticker. Kind of the same thing, right?

    • 9.5.10
      misst said:

      ha ha ha ha ha!!! exactly the same thing.

  2. 8.31.10

    Yay! Looks awesome!

  3. 8.31.10
    ModFruGal said:

    SCORE!

  4. 8.31.10
    Shilo said:

    Looks awesome! The shot of pink and yellow really completes your corner.

  5. 8.31.10
    Shilo said:

    P.S. I added your photo to my pinterest interiors board with a full credit and link back to you: http://pinterest.com/pin/470756/ Hope you don’t mind. If you do, let me know and I’ll remove it in an instant.

    P.P.S. Just noticed your moonbeam clock! Love!

    • 8.31.10

      Hey thanks! Don’t mind at all, actually I’d never heard of pinterest but now I’m intrigued! They might have a new member…

      Yeah, I’m a fan of the little moonbeam, too. It’s one of the new production ones (L.L. Bean?) but strangely was already in a thrift store, that was an exciting day.

    • 8.31.10
      Shilo said:

      Watch out, Pinterest is the most fabulous time waster since the invention of the internet. If I wasn’t already married, I’d be propositioning that website in a hot second.

  6. 8.31.10

    If it weren’t for my family’s generosity and the tons of old tchatchkies they keep around (but don’t use) my house would be empty. That poster is awesome. Good for you!

  7. 8.31.10
    Ana said:

    Awesome find Dan! My mom never let’s me take her good stuff

  8. 8.31.10
    Fiona said:

    Love the poster, love the conviction.

  9. 8.31.10
    Ella said:

    That’s a super duper poster!

  10. 8.31.10
    decorarts said:

    Sorry Daniel. This poster creeps me out even though it has a peaceful message. But then again, no would EVER describe me as edgy .

  11. 8.31.10
    cheryl said:

    Love it! Love the message! Love the Pop Art Movement info! Love that you appreciate! Looks great how/where you hung this! Apartment is looking fabulous.

  12. 8.31.10

    I love raiding my parents’ house! They have so much crap they are usually begging me to take stuff. Too bad they live 1000 miles away and now all the jerk wad airlines want to charge you to check luggage. Anyway, the poster looks awesome in your room. And the chair is looking mighty fine these days too!

  13. 8.31.10
    Cait said:

    If my family wasn’t so generous our house would be full of milk crate and board furniture.

    That poster looks great, and I love its message.

  14. 9.1.10
    Ming Cai said:

    oh, I also like the color of that little clock in the corner–I think those light fixtures could’ve been interesting in that color.

    also, be prepared–my apartment is starting to look a little more like martha stewart and less like dilapidated living

  15. 10.28.10

    Love the blog, Dan! I actually recently discovered quite a few of these posters in our storage unit, so if anyone reading this would want one for themselves, please drop me an email! We have both signed and unsigned copies for a reasonable price. And Dan, thanks to you and your parents for supporting our work to reduce gun violence in America!

    Ladd Everitt
    Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Coalition-to-Stop-Gun-Violence/147886928572214
    Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CSGV

    • 10.30.10

      Thanks, Ladd! I hope they get snatched up fast! I love mine.

  16. 10.28.10
    Mom said:

    BTW, if my kids would do a better job of shopping from home, we could clear out some more stuff and move to a smaller condo somewhere….

  17. 6.10.11
    Melissa said:

    I am now a proud owner of this awesome poster :) i just got mine in the mail yesterday, it looks even better in person! Hopefully someday my place can look as awesome as yours.. cross my fingers..