We're saddened to learn of the recent passing of Conceptual and Pop artist Billy Apple (1935–2021). Born as Barrie Bates in New Zealand, Apple attended the Royal College of Art as Pop Art emerged in 1960s London and then moved to New York in 1964. Changing his name to Billy Apple was both a conceptual gesture and a wily marketing ploy. Apple created “A for Apple” among a number of works that play upon his own rebranding. This work was featured in the “American Supermarket” exhibition at the Bianchini Gallery in 1964, which Apple organized alongside Andy Warhol. In that show, visitors could peruse the aisles and load up their shopping cart with works of art as if they were in a grocery store. Visit this work on view now in the gallery installation "Pop Art: A New Vernacular."
“A for Apple,” 1962–63/2002, by Billy Apple