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Robert Longo

American, b. 1953

The drawings by artist Robert Longo are a sensory experience: They are monumental, detailed and hard-hitting in their subject matter, which often includes critiques of power, social unrest and consumer capitalism.

Longo has spent his career exploring mediums as varied as the Photorealistic charcoal drawings for which he is best known and film direction. In all of his work, however, he draws inspiration from his deep background in sculpture. “I always think that drawing is a sculptural process. I always feel like I’m carving the image out rather than painting the image. I’m carving it out with erasers and tools like that,” he once said.

The Long Island, New York, native attended high school with a man who was shot at Kent State University while protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War in 1970, and the famous image of this man lying dead on the ground influenced Longo so deeply that he began to consider all art political. Longo attended Buffalo State College, where he met and became friends with artist Cindy Sherman, and later the two moved to New York City together.

Longo’s revered work includes his charcoal and graphite “Men in the Cities” drawings. The Photorealist series, which debuted at Metro Pictures gallery in Manhattan in 1981, depicted people in formal business clothing. Posing in suspended animation in unusual contortions, the figures take on a choreographic quality and represent the career-minded “yuppies” of the era.

“Men in the Cities” was inspired by punk rock music and decades later has been cited as a visual reference for the opening sequence of the popular television drama Mad Men. The work was among the most recognizable and iconic of the Pictures Generation — the movement by artists who came of age in the 1970s and were disillusioned by the social and political conditions of the time. In 2014, Longo created 12 charcoal drawings for a series titled “Gang of Cosmos,” which were black-and-white depictions of famous Abstract Expressionist works by artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Lee Krasner.

Through his provocative, detailed and highly precise prints, drawings, photography and sculpture, Longo continues to challenge traditional sources of power and authority.

Find original Robert Longo art on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$1,150
Styles
Materials
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Robert Longo 'Frank & Glenn' Hand Signed and Framed, 1991
By Robert Longo
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Lithograph in colors on wove paper. Artist proof signed and numbered in pencil out of 10 by Robert Longo, published by Brooke Alexander from the Men in the Cities. Frank and Glen st...
Category

1990s Contemporary Robert Longo

Materials

Lithograph

Robert Longo 'Frank & Glenn' Hand Signed and Framed, 1991
Robert Longo 'Frank & Glenn' Hand Signed and Framed, 1991
$30,000 Sale Price
25% Off
H 40 in W 57.5 in D 2.5 in
Jules, Gretchen, Mark (state II)
By Robert Longo
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this lithograph with embossing on Arches. One of 4 numbered printer's proofs, aside from the edition of 30. Signed and dated in pencil, lower right, and ins...
Category

1980s Contemporary Robert Longo

Materials

Lithograph

Robert Longo, Janet (from Men in the Cities) - Signed Photograph
By Robert Longo
Located in Hamburg, DE
Robert Longo (American, born 1953) Janet (from Men in the Cities), 1981/2016 Medium: Archival pigment print in colours, on Canson Platine fiber paper Dimensions: 47.7 x 35.5 cm Editi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Robert Longo

Materials

Archival Pigment

White Snow Trees of the Black Forest by Robert Longo
By Robert Longo
Located in Zug, CH
Robert Longo White Snow Trees of the Back Forest 2020 Archival pigment print 71.1 × 55.8 cm (28 × 22 in) Signed and numbered Edition of 30 In excellent condition PLEASE NOTE: Editio...
Category

2010s Contemporary Robert Longo

Materials

Archival Pigment

Robert Longo Men In The Cities announcement 1985
By Robert Longo
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Robert Longo Men in the Cities: Rare original 1985 announcement card published on the occasion of: Men In The Cities from November 9 - December 7, 1985 at Brooke Alexander, Inc.; 59...
Category

1980s Pop Art Robert Longo

Materials

Offset

Untitled (Tree)
By Robert Longo
Located in Calabasas, CA
Artist: Robert Longo Title: Untitled (Tree) Year: 2018 Medium: Archival pigment print on Epson hot pressed, bright white paper Edition: 25; signed, dated and numbered in pencil Sheet...
Category

2010s Contemporary Robert Longo

Materials

Archival Pigment

Untitled (Tree)
Untitled (Tree)
$15,000
H 36.63 in W 60 in
Rick, from: Men in the Cities - Lithograph - American Pop Art
By Robert Longo
Located in London, GB
This original lithograph is hand signed in pencil by the artist “Robert Longo” at the lower right corner. It is also dated “94” [1994] next to the signature. It is hand numbered in ...
Category

1990s Contemporary Robert Longo

Materials

Lithograph

Gretchen & Eric from Men in the Cities
By Robert Longo
Located in Miami, FL
Robert Longo (b. 1953) Gretchen and Eric, from Men in the Cities, 1985 Two lithographs on rag paper Each signed, dated and numbered in pencil to lower margin Edition 27 of 48 (matchi...
Category

1980s Contemporary Robert Longo

Materials

Lithograph

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Robert Longo Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMediumCreation Year
2025$200Prints and MultiplesOffset Print1985
2025$600Prints and MultiplesOffset Print1986
2025$2,000More PrintsLithograph, Color Print1986
2025$50Prints and MultiplesOffset Print1986
2024$170Prints and MultiplesOffset Print1985
2024$1,500Figurative PrintsLithograph, Offset Print, Permanent Marker1991
2024$168Prints and MultiplesOffset Print1985
2024$220Prints and MultiplesOffset Print1985
2024$5,440Portrait Prints, Figurative PrintsLithograph, Offset Print1991
$1,150
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$50-$5,440
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Artists Similar to Robert Longo

Robert Longo art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Robert Longo art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of purple, red and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Robert Longo in pigment print, lithograph, archival pigment print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Robert Longo art, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jasper Johns, John Baldessari, and Charles Bragg. Robert Longo art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $200 and tops out at $225,000, while the average work can sell for $18,755.
Questions About Robert Longo
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Robert Longo uses cold roll paper. The artist himself explained in an interview that the paper he prefers is not handmade, instead it is machine-made, archival paper. Longo is best known for his paintings that capture realistic moments and express the inner strength of his subjects. Shop a selection of Longo pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    With roots in sculpture, contemporary artist Robert Longo is best known for his charcoal and graphite drawings, which showcased men and women in mid-movement. You can shop a selection of Robert Longo pieces from some of the world’s top dealers on 1stDibs.

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