Robert Longo

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris
Acquired from the above by the current owner

The colours are fairly accurate in the catalogue illustration although the image does not accurately convey the different nuances and tonalities visible in the original work. The sheet is hinged to the cardboard with tape on the upper corners. There are pinholes visible in each of the four corners. This work is in very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Fig. 1
Robert Longo in his Manhattan Studio © Erica Gannett

Robert Longo is unquestionably one of the most talented draughtsmen of our times. His works, on the borderline between photography, film and painting, create a sense of hyperrealism that is as troubling as it is enthralling. Internationally recognised since Men in the Cities; a series begun at the end of the 1970s and inspired by the film by the German producer Rainer Fassbinder The American Soldier, Robert Longo’s work has for the past thirty years focused on the architypes of contemporary, violent, urban, veneered and glamorous society.

 

Depicting bucolic scenes emblematic of American culture or universal landscapes, the artist produces images in which the marvellous rubs shoulders with the terrible, beauty with the destructive forces of both man and nature.

 

All the works presented here reveal the artist’s precise line and his interest in notions of emptiness and volume which haunts his work. His subjects are transcended by the detail of his pencil drawings, as Robert Longo questions not only the cycle of life but also our physical and emotional powerlessness in face of the immensity of the universe. Majestic.