R. Crumb Wonders What It All Means

"The exhibition comprises original illustrated panels included in the comic book along with a few other recent drawings and excerpts from his sketchbooks. Now a widowed octogenarian based in France, his latest work demonstrates the same masterful rendering of his subjects, sans his prurient material. However, his witty humor, self-deprecation, paranoia, narcissism, anti-establishment commentary, and self-proclaimed neurosis - almost to a point of pride - have reached a new level of darkness."

"A panel made in collaboration with Aline and their daughter, Sophie, "Crumb Family Covid Exposé" (2021), shows how the pandemic threw him into a tailspin, as he tunneled down a rabbit hole of COVID-19 conspiracy theories. He is an anti-vaxxer who deeply mistrusts the government and freaks out behind his wife's back as she makes sure to get her vaccines. The two of them draw themselves in each panel from their own perspectives."

"In "The Very Worst LSD I Ever Had" (2023) - one of the most disturbing stories - Crumb revisits a bad acid trip that has haunted him since it happened in 1966. What bothered him most about the experience was how it was blocked from his memory. Crumb was no stranger to psychedelics, but this trip left him paranoid. He and his first wife, Dana, had visited a house they heard was giving out the drug; after taking it, he became convinced that they were part of a science project."

R. Crumb released Tales of Paranoia after a 23-year hiatus, published by Fantagraphics, and is showing original drawings at the David Zwirner gallery. The exhibition includes illustrated panels from the comic, recent drawings, and sketchbook excerpts. Now a widowed octogenarian living in France, he retains masterful rendering while omitting prurient material. The work amplifies humor, self-deprecation, paranoia, narcissism, anti-establishment commentary, and self-proclaimed neurosis, taking on a darker tone following the death of Aline Kominsky-Crumb. Collaborative pieces and solo stories probe COVID-era conspiracies, anti-vaccine mistrust, traumatic psychedelic experiences, and reflections on mortality.

Read at Hyperallergic