Dan Nadel

Rambunctious and often offensive, R. Crumb draws freely on pre-existing racial and gender stereotypes.

R. Crumb’s cartoons plumb the grotesque corners of the American unconscious.

The standard story of 1960s art is one of Abstract Expressionism leading into Pop Art and minimalism. The Whitney offers a different one centered on surrealism.

Crumb's work was called sexist, racist, and obscene, but even his critics often acknowledged that he was hilarious and original.