No Title (They’ve shot the) (1982), Raymond Pettibon via Regen Projects
A little-known fact about Raymond Pettibon is that he raised “sporting” pitbulls and mastiffs in the backyard of his home in Hermosa Beach, California. For someone so inextricably linked to the punk and hardcore music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980’s, this may not come as such a surprise to some. Pettibon won wide-spread appeal for his ambiguous and irreverent monochromatic comic-like posters and album covers for the band Black Flag and SST records, both founded by his older brother Greg Ginn. One can digest Pettibon’s work as a type of stark and detached reenactment of a depraved silent-film with wry, tongue-in-cheek undertones. Even Pettibon’s use of “sporting” rather than “fighting” with reference to his dogs exemplifies his seemingly caustic dryness. Part one of a two part Pettibon solo exhibition at Regen Projects in Los Angeles runs from September 13th to October 18th and features seminal works showcased in some of his early ‘zines. His second exhibit runs from December 13, 2008 to January 24, 2009 also at Regen Projects.
Raymon Pettibon Part I: Seminal Early Works 1978-88 [Regen Projects]
Raymon Pettibon Seminal Early Works 1978-88 [LA Times]
Raymon Pettibon Exhibit at Regen Projects [LAist]
Interview with Raymond Pettibon [Believermag]
No Title (50 bullets couldn’t) (1985), Raymond Pettibon via Regen Projects
Pettibon also did cover art for the the Minutemen’s 1983 album What Makes a Man Start Fires? and Sonic Youth’s 1990 album Goo. Black Flag frontman, Henry Rollins also featured Pettibon in his memoir, Get in the Van, published in 1994. This is Raymond Pettibon’s 7th solo exhibition at Regen Projects and will exhibit roughly 80 drawings and videos depicting his journey with Black Flag.
Cover of Sonic Youth’s Goo (1990), Raymond Pettibon via Gotham City Insider
No Title (New saint) (1978), Raymond Pettibon via Regen Projects
No Title (The whole mansion) (1984), Raymond Pettibon via Regen Projects
Raymond Pettibon via CFA-Berlin
