Ivy Mike, 2010

Robert Longo   Master Artists

Robert Longo is an American artist born in 1953 in Brooklyn, New York where he currently lives and works.

As a child, he was fascinated by cinema, magazines, comics, and television, a fascination that reflects in his artistic production. He studied sculpture at first and then decided to make a career in Visual arts, he received a scholarship to study at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts in 1972. When he returned to New York, he studied at Buffalo State College where he graduated in 1975. His teacher, Joseph Piccillo remains a big influence for him, as well as Cindy Sherman who studied in the same school and to whom he was associated.

He transforms the practice of drawing to the monumental scale of painting, using chiaroscuro effects, exploiting light, and black as main elements. His pieces are often marked with a certain political dimension due to his choice of imaging.

During the 80s, Robert Longo directed several video clips, a movie, and a short film. He was also commissioned fashion photographs by the luxury brand Bottega Veneta, but drawing has always been his favorite form of expression.

His work has been exhibited in several internationally renowned places such as at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Gallery in London, the ICA in London. In 2005, he received the Goslar Kaiserring award.