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Robert Longo More Art

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.

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Artist: Robert Longo
Robert Longo - Men in the Cities 1984 Signed artist-certified photograph, unique
Robert Longo - Men in the Cities 1984 Signed artist-certified photograph, unique

Robert Longo - Men in the Cities 1984 Signed artist-certified photograph, unique

By Robert Longo

Located in New York, NY

Robert Longo, Men in the Cities (Rick) , 1984 - unique artist-certified photographic document, 1992 Vintage photographic print on Kodak paper, with unique artist inscription and cert...

Category

1980s Pop Art Robert Longo More Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Pencil, Graphite

Robert Longo Men In The Cities announcement 1985
Robert Longo Men In The Cities announcement 1985

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 More Art

Materials

Offset

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Glenn Branca ‎– The Ascension: A Rare Highly Sought After Vinyl Art Cover featuring Original Artwork by Robert Longo from his classic "Men in the Cities" series. Year: 1981 Medium...

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Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art: Off-set print on vinyl record. Unsigned. 12 inches in diameter. Excellent Condition. Published by Visionaire Fashion, 2007. Looks quite cool framed. Robert Longo burst onto the New York art scene as a brash 25-year-old with “Men in the Cities,” his iconic 1983 large-scale charcoal drawings of businessmen posing in uncanny contortions. “I always imagine that I want to make art that is going to kill you,” he said in 1984. “Whether it’s going to do it visually or physically, I’ll take either way.” Longo works and reworks his charcoal into thick-textured surfaces, giving his velvety drawings deep, blackened expanses and sharply contrasting whites; his forms are at once representational and softly elusive. Having been fascinated with popular culture as a child, Longo centers his practice on transposing images and the resulting transformation of meaning, linking him with the Pictures Generation. “An artist should know art history,” he says. “Shock value only lasts so long.” His recent works have included series depicting women in burkas, ocean waves, nuclear explosions, views of Sigmund Freud’s apartment, and zoo animals...

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Robert Longo Album Cover Art, 1981 Glenn Branca ‎– The Ascension: A Rare Highly Sought After Vinyl Art Cover featuring Original Artwork by Robert Longo from his classic "Men in the ...

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Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)
Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)

Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)

By Robert Longo

Located in NEW YORK, NY

Glenn Branca ‎– The Ascension: A Rare Highly Sought After Vinyl Art Cover featuring Original Artwork by Robert Longo from his classic "Men in the Cities" series. Year: 1981 Medium...

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Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)
Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)

Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)

By Robert Longo

Located in NEW YORK, NY

Robert Longo Album Cover Art, 1981 Glenn Branca ‎– The Ascension: A Rare Highly Sought After Vinyl Art Cover featuring Original Artwork by Robert Longo from his classic "Men in the ...

Category

1980s Pop Art Robert Longo More Art

Materials

Offset

Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)
Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)

Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)

By Robert Longo

Located in NEW YORK, NY

Glenn Branca ‎– The Ascension: A Rare Highly Sought After Vinyl Art Cover featuring Original Artwork by Robert Longo from his classic "Men in the Cities" series. Year: 1981 Medium...

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1980s Pop Art Robert Longo More Art

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Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)
Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)

Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)

By Robert Longo

Located in NEW YORK, NY

Glenn Branca ‎– The Ascension: A Rare Highly Sought After Vinyl Art Cover featuring Original Artwork by Robert Longo from his classic "Men in the Cities" series. Year: 1981 Medium...

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Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)
Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)

Rare Original Robert Longo Vinyl Record Art (Men In The Cities)

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Glenn Branca ‎– The Ascension: A Rare Highly Sought After Vinyl Art Cover featuring Original Artwork by Robert Longo from his classic "Men in the Cities" series. Year: 19...

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Robert Longo more art for sale on 1stDibs.

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Questions About Robert Longo More Art
  • 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.