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.
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...
Archival Pigment
Robert Longo, Eric, NYC: Signed C-Print and Artist's Book
By Robert Longo
Located in Hamburg, DE
Robert Longo (b.1953) Eric, NYC, 1980, 2009 Medium: C-print on photo paper (incl. artist’s book) Dimensions: 25.5 x 18.5 cm (10 × 7 1/4 in) Edition of 100: Hand-signed in black pen
C Print
$1,103
H 40 in W 50 in D 0.1 in
'Harvest Dance' Movement dance figures gold yellow orange fire nature wild
By Sophia Milligan
Located in Penzance, GB
'Harvest Dance' Limited edition archival photograph. Unframed, hand signed and numbered _________________ Late August, captured in the glow of the evening sun, my daughters join han...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Giclée
$1,950
H 24 in W 36 in D 0.1 in
"Sunset" Abstract Art Print 24" x 36" in Ed. of 25 by Yevgeniy Repiashenko
By Yevgeniy Repiashenko
Located in Culver City, CA
"Sunset" Abstract Art Print 24" x 36" in Ed. of 25 by Yevgeniy Repiashenko Year photo was taken: 2015 Art Print Limited Edition of 25 Picture si...
Archival Pigment
"Window 1" - Abstract Figurative Photography - Irving Penn
By Mark Cáceres
Located in Atlanta, GA
"Window 1" is a photograph featuring hues of orange, blue and black, edition of 10. 19 by 13 inches (framed) Mark Caceres is inspired by the work of Jeff Jacobson, Alex Webb...
Archival Pigment
$3,100
H 47 in W 47 in D 0.1 in
No title (No 78) Ballet Photography 47 x 47 in Ed of 18 by Yevgeniy Repiashenko
By Yevgeniy Repiashenko
Located in Culver City, CA
No title (No 78) Ballet Photography 47 x 47 in Ed of 18 by Yevgeniy Repiashenko No title (No 78) by Yevgeniy Repiashenko Year photo was taken: 2017 Limited Edition of 18 Picture si...
Archival Pigment
$1,950
H 36 in W 36 in D 0.1 in
RA (No 25) Ballet Photography 36" x 36" in Ed. of 28 by Yevgeniy Repiashenko
By Yevgeniy Repiashenko
Located in Culver City, CA
RA (No 25) Ballet Photography 36" x 36" in Ed. of 28 by Yevgeniy Repiashenko RA (No 25) by Yevgeniy Repiashenko Year photo was taken: 2016 Limited Edition of 28 Picture size: Heigh...
Archival Pigment
$4,500
H 45 in W 45 in D 1 in
No title (No 03) Ballet Photography 45 x 45 in Ed. of 18 by Yevgeniy Repiashenko
By Yevgeniy Repiashenko
Located in Culver City, CA
No title (No 03) Ballet Photography 45 x 45 in Ed. of 18 by Yevgeniy Repiashenko No title (No 03) by Yevgeniy Repiashenko Year photo was taken: 2017 Edition of 18. Premium Quality: ...
Plexiglass, Archival Pigment
$15,000
H 48 in W 60 in D 0.1 in
Teatro Colon II, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Massimo Listri
By Massimo Listri
Located in New York City, NY
Chromogenic Print – Unframed Free Shipping – Ask us for custom framing options. 40 x 48 inches - edition of 5 48 x 60 inches - edition of 5 71 x 88.5 inches - edition of 5 "My ph...
Archival Paper, C Print
$2,200
H 32 in W 32 in D 1 in
No Title (No 11) Ballet Photography 32 x 32 in Ed. of 25 by Yevgeniy Repiashenko
By Yevgeniy Repiashenko
Located in Culver City, CA
No Title (No 11) Ballet Photography 32 x 32 in Ed. of 25 by Yevgeniy Repiashenko Photography Year photo was taken: 2017 This picture is a part of Spirit series. Magic dance movem...
Plexiglass, Archival Pigment
L'occhio degli dei Pantheon, Rome, Italy
By Massimo Listri
Located in New York City, NY
Chromogenic Print – Unframed Free Shipping – Ask us for custom framing options. 40 x 48 inches - edition of 5 48 x 60 inches - edition of 5 71 x 88.5 inches - edition of 5 "My ph...
Archival Paper, C Print
Winged Migration
By Tom Chambers
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Entropic Kingdom I present unspoken stories which illustrate fleeting moments in time and which are intended to evoke a mood in the viewer. These mythical illustrations might addr...
Archival Pigment
$5,500
H 36 in W 24 in D 1 in
"Unbound" Photography 36" x 24" inch Edition 1/10 by Aaron Mcpolin
By Aaron McPolin
Located in Culver City, CA
"Unbound" Photography 36" x 24" inch Edition 1/10 by Aaron Mcpolin Medium: Archival Giclee Print Signed and numbered by the artist. Comes with COA issued by the artist. Comes in a w...
Archival Pigment
$5,500
H 36 in W 24 in D 1 in
"Unbound II" Photography 36" x 24" inch Edition 1/10 by Aaron Mcpolin
By Aaron McPolin
Located in Culver City, CA
"Unbound II" Photography 36" x 24" inch Edition 1/10 by Aaron Mcpolin Medium: Archival Giclee Print Signed and numbered by the artist. Comes with COA issued by the artist. Comes in ...
Archival Pigment
STUDY OF FERGUSON RIOT COPS
By Robert Longo
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed, titled and dated by the artist. Original ink and charcoal on vellum paper. Framed size approx 30.75 x 34 inches. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of Auth...
Paper, Ink