One of the most successful artists of the 80s, Robert Longo’s obsession with punchy images led him into the world of music videos and, finally, Hollywood blockbusters.

Initially studying sculpture, Longo’s favourite medium was drawing in the form of self-expression. Sculptural influences highly determined his drawing technique, giving his portraits a three-dimensional quality of distinctive chiseled lines.

In 1989 to 91, Longo produced a series of American flags, ‘Black Flags, then in 1993 oversized hand guns ‘Bodyhammers’ was created. During 1995 and 96 Longo worked on ‘Magellan’, a project emcompassing 366 drawings, one created on each day of the year.…

One of the most successful artists of the 80s, Robert Longo’s obsession with punchy images led him into the world of music videos and, finally, Hollywood blockbusters.

Initially studying sculpture, Longo’s favourite medium was drawing in the form of self-expression. Sculptural influences highly determined his drawing technique, giving his portraits a three-dimensional quality of distinctive chiseled lines.

In 1989 to 91, Longo produced a series of American flags, ‘Black Flags, then in 1993 oversized hand guns ‘Bodyhammers’ was created. During 1995 and 96 Longo worked on ‘Magellan’, a project emcompassing 366 drawings, one created on each day of the year. This formed an archive of the artist’s life and his cultural surroundings. 2002 saw the body of work titled ‘Freud Drawings’, reinterpreting Edmund Engelman’s famous documentary images of Sigmund Freud’s flat, moments before his flight from the Nazis. ‘Monsters’, the series that was displayed in the Whitney Biennial came along in 2004 and ‘The Sickness of Reason’ shortely afterwards.

Major retrospective exhibitions include The Los Angeles County Museum of Art 1989, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago 1990, and Japan in 1995.

Robert Longo lives with his wife, Barbara Sukowa, and their three sons in New York.