Spiritual America was an appointment-only storefront gallery on Rivington Street.
[source- “Richard Prince” by Rosetta Brooks from the 1992 Whitney exhibition catalog]
The gallery was founded by Kim Fine
[instagram.com/kimberlyskeen source]
in 1983 for the explicit purpose of exhibiting a single photo, "By Richard Prince, a Photograph of Brooke Shields, By Gary Gross," which Fine presented anonymously on behalf of the artist, Richard Prince, who was notably absent from the exhibition. The gallery ran from October 28th, 1983 to the end of March 1984. Subsequent exhibitions curated by Richard Prince included Sara Charlesworth, Jeff Koons, Louise Lawler, Cindy Sherman and Alan McCullom.
[source- “Richard Prince” by Rosetta Brooks from the 1992 Whitney exhibition catalog]
[source -Spiritual America The Catalog 1983-1984]
'Spiritual America' has since become eponymous with Prince's rephotograph of the child star Brooke Shields, which sold with an asking price of $1M at Basel in 2004.
In 1987, at the behest of Barbara Gladstone, Prince editioned the work in a series of 10 copies and 2 artist's proof's on ektacolor paper at 20x24" instead of the original 8x10.
[source -Spiritual America The Catalog 1983-1984]