Robert Mars Figurative Paintings

This piece depicts famous British actress and model Audrey Hepburn. Celebrating the icons from the Golden Era with expressive and bold colors by capturing these moments in history, his paintings serve as vehicles for bringing the American brand to the world. With the use of graphic compositions, glossy textures, and rich colors Mars provided the ultimate medium in which to explore his fascination stemming from the Golden Age of American popular culture and the icons of the 1950’s and 60’s. Mars hand-painted butterflies in the background with clippings from magazines dating back to this era and incorporates messages from those times throughout the artwork. Creating the perfect backdrop for his statement piece, Hepburn stands out exceptionally, as the Tiffany & Co. logo is draped across adding an extra character of definition. Mars then layers the entire painting in epoxy resin, so the thickness of the piece pops dramatically. Finishing off the edges of the wood panel with newspaper articles and advertisements from an array of vintage magazines collected over the years. This is a one-of-a-kind piece executed on wood panel and comes ready to be displayed with hanging wire on verso, signed by the artist lower right and on verso. Art measures 48 x 48 inches Robert Mars was born in 1969 and is a graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York. At a young age, between 7 and 8 years old, he was drawn to muscle cars, custom vans, superheroes, and other icons that were relevant as a child. This idea of icons has been an obsession within his life and has continued into his adult life and throughout his artistic career, but the imagery has been refined over time. With the use of graphic compositions, glossy textures, and rich colors Mars provided the ultimate medium in which to explore his fascination stemming from the Golden Age of American popular culture and the icons of the 1950’s and 60’s. Drawing inspiration from the near-mythical fame that surrounded celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, Elvis Presley, and many others, before the instant and all-encompassing presence of the internet, Mars’ daring approach creates paintings with a nostalgic yet innovative vintage feel. Employing concepts rooted in abstract expressionism, Mars has expanded on his body of work in the last years to abstract compositions, finding a balance between chaos and control by precisely cutting the painted vintage newspaper into predetermined patterns with multicolored paint layers of loose and dynamic brushstrokes in order to bridge to the events of the past and anchoring each of his artwork in a particular time of history. Robert Mars taps into the feelings that emanate from his paintings which vacillate between memory and desire. The taste of nostalgia pulls the viewers towards the iconic stars and the consumerist historical subject material of Mars’ works. Mars’ sources are the very core of these dreams. Photographs of stars like Bruce Springsteen, logos of products like Coca-Cola and TIFFANY & CO., and vintage ephemera are layered beautifully with news stories of seminal events; from the death of JFK to the 1969 moonwalk. By capturing these moments in history, his paintings serve as vehicles for bringing the American brand to the world. Based on traditional quilt patterns from American history, the mix of handcraft, and the meditation of...

Robert Mars God Save the Queen (Elegance is the Word) 2016 Newspapers, magazines, Xerox transfer, and paint collage on wood panel with resin and var...

Robert Mars’ graphic compositions and rich colors provide an ideal medium in which to explore his fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and the icons of the 195...

Robert Mars’ graphic compositions and rich colors provide an ideal medium in which to explore his fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and the icons of the 195...

Robert Mars’ graphic compositions and rich colors provide an ideal medium in which to explore his fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and the icons of the 195...

ALL THROUGH A LIFE by Robert Mars is Mixed Media on Panel that measures 48.00 X 36.00 in and is priced at $11,300.00. Robert Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving fascination with th...

YOUTH ENRAGE by Robert Mars is Mixed Media on Panel that measures 42.00 X 42.00 in and is priced at $11,100.00. Robert Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving fascination with the Gold...

Robert Mars, 'Highways Call' is a cream and white, contemporary figurative mixed media on panel that measures 40 x 60 and is priced at $11,300. Robert Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and celebrates the icons of the 1950’s and 1960’s. His paintings evoke a vintage quality of design and pay homage to the idealized age of growth and hopefulness that was prevalent in the USA at the end of the Depression. At a time before the internet and mobile technology, where information was not instantly available to millions and there was no such thing as instant internet celebrities, Mars pays tribute to the people who lived as myths with unique, untouchable and unforgettable personalities. Robert Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and celebrates the icons of the 1950’s and 60’s by taking inspiration from this culture long past. Through the application of a rich color palette and tongue-in-cheek attitude, Mars’ paintings evoke a vintage quality of design and pay homage to the idealized age of growth and hopefulness that was prevalent in the USA at the end of the Depression. A time before the internet and mobile technology, where information was not instantly available to millions and there was no such thing as instant internet celebrities, and instead people lived with the myth of the unique, untouchable and unforgettable personalities of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn and Elvis Presley. By merging his own concept of personal idols with those of mainstream culture, Mars is able to focus his work on a deeper analysis of the Golden Age of American personalities. As an artist, he has always been fascinated with 1950’s and 60’s culture, and his early work reflects many of the architectural and mechanical icons from this era. Muscle cars, motels, logos and hulking monuments to the “modern” feeling of the time permeate his early canvases. More recently however, Mars’ artwork has shifted toward the culture of celebrity and he is amazingly attuned to the fact that these instantly recognizable and larger-than-life personalities continue to resonate with contemporary American culture. A graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York, Mars begins the creative process by preparing his surface with multiple layers of brown paper in order to define the edges and delineate the background planes of color. He then alternates layers of paint and vintage paper ephemera, sanding away portions of the layers as he works, revealing the desired portions of under painting with the overall intention to provide the viewer with a muted window into America’s past. Chronicling this fascination with 1950’s and 60’s iconography, Mars has produced a body of artwork from his studio in New York that celebrates the commonplace objects and icons of an America long past, in a thoroughly modern and exquisitely constructed manner. His eye for a distinct facet of American history is impeccable and his ability to manipulate the color and wordplay of vintage printed material has earned him reference with the likes of Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Richard Diebenkorn among other masters from the School of Pop. Robert Mars’ artwork is exhibited worldwide including museum collections in Munich, Tokyo, Amsterdam, London, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, Paris, Aspen and Naples. His artwork was selected for the Absolut Vodka Blank campaign alongside DamienHirst, and his largest sized piece to date was acquired by Philip Morris/Altria for their corporate headquarters in Virginia. In 2015 Mars was chosen for the cover of Neiman Marcus’ May Book, while Coca­Cola purchased several existing works and ordered commissions for a world tour celebrating the 100 year anniversary of their trademark bottle shape, in which his artwork was spotlighted. 2016 will see Mars as a  featured artist for a custom high end wallpaper and tile series with Kari Whitman Interiors. He will have a solo exhibition at the Evansville Museum of Art in Indiana, where he will also be an artist in residence and guest lecturer. EDUCATION Parsons School of Design, New York, NY SOLO EXHIBITIONS May 2016 “Days were golden” Evansville Museum, Evansville, IN September 2015 “Boys are back in town” JoAnne Artman Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA October 2014 “A Love supreme” The Harvey B Gantt Center, Charlotte, NC September 2014 “Mars Attacks” JoAnne Artman Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA May 2014 “A Love supreme” DTR Modern Gallery, New York, NY March 2014 “A love affair” DTR Modern Gallery, Georgetown, Washington, DC December 2012 “Captivated” Coral Springs Museum of Art, Coral Springs, FL April 2012 “Stars and starlets” DTR Modern, New York, NY October 2011 “American Idols” Galerie Bartoux, Honfleur, France March 2011 “American Art” Museum Gallery of Modern Art, Sofia, Bulgaria November 2010 “Lost and found” Gallery Brown, Los Angeles, CA March 2010 “Chronicles of America” DTR Modern, Boston, MA October 2009 “Ruins and relics” Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA September 2009 “Notes from the road” Hubert Gallery, New York, NY April 2009 “Diamonds and rust” Art...

The Robert Mars 'THE TRAIN, THE DRINKING AND THE DAWN' is a brown, tan and black, figurative pop-art mixed media on panel piece that measures 40 x 50 and is priced at $15,000. Robert Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and celebrates the icons of the 1950’s and 1960’s. His paintings evoke a vintage quality of design and pay homage to the idealized age of growth and hopefulness that was prevalent in the USA at the end of the Depression. At a time before the internet and mobile technology, where information was not instantly available to millions and there was no such thing as instant internet celebrities, Mars pays tribute to the people who lived as myths with unique, untouchable and unforgettable personalities. Robert Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and celebrates the icons of the 1950’s and 60’s by taking inspiration from this culture long past. Through the application of a rich color palette and tongue-in-cheek attitude, Mars’ paintings evoke a vintage quality of design and pay homage to the idealized age of growth and hopefulness that was prevalent in the USA at the end of the Depression. A time before the internet and mobile technology, where information was not instantly available to millions and there was no such thing as instant internet celebrities, and instead people lived with the myth of the unique, untouchable and unforgettable personalities of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn and Elvis Presley. By merging his own concept of personal idols with those of mainstream culture, Mars is able to focus his work on a deeper analysis of the Golden Age of American personalities. As an artist, he has always been fascinated with 1950’s and 60’s culture, and his early work reflects many of the architectural and mechanical icons from this era. Muscle cars, motels, logos and hulking monuments to the “modern” feeling of the time permeate his early canvases. More recently however, Mars’ artwork has shifted toward the culture of celebrity and he is amazingly attuned to the fact that these instantly recognizable and larger-than-life personalities continue to resonate with contemporary American culture. A graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York, Mars begins the creative process by preparing his surface with multiple layers of brown paper in order to define the edges and delineate the background planes of color. He then alternates layers of paint and vintage paper ephemera, sanding away portions of the layers as he works, revealing the desired portions of under painting with the overall intention to provide the viewer with a muted window into America’s past. Chronicling this fascination with 1950’s and 60’s iconography, Mars has produced a body of artwork from his studio in New York that celebrates the commonplace objects and icons of an America long past, in a thoroughly modern and exquisitely constructed manner. His eye for a distinct facet of American history is impeccable and his ability to manipulate the color and wordplay of vintage printed material has earned him reference with the likes of Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Richard Diebenkorn among other masters from the School of Pop. Robert Mars’ artwork is exhibited worldwide including museum collections in Munich, Tokyo, Amsterdam, London, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, Paris, Aspen and Naples. His artwork was selected for the Absolut Vodka Blank campaign alongside DamienHirst, and his largest sized piece to date was acquired by Philip Morris/Altria for their corporate headquarters in Virginia. In 2015 Mars was chosen for the cover of Neiman Marcus’ May Book, while Coca­Cola purchased several existing works and ordered commissions for a world tour celebrating the 100 year anniversary of their trademark bottle shape, in which his artwork was spotlighted. 2016 will see Mars as a featured artist for a custom high end wallpaper and tile series with Kari Whitman Interiors. He will have a solo exhibition at the Evansville Museum of Art in Indiana, where he will also be an artist in residence and guest lecturer. EDUCATION Parsons School of Design, New York, NY SOLO EXHIBITIONS May 2016 “Days were golden” Evansville Museum, Evansville, IN September 2015 “Boys are back in town” JoAnne Artman Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA October 2014 “A Love supreme” The Harvey B Gantt Center, Charlotte, NC September 2014 “Mars Attacks” JoAnne Artman Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA May 2014 “A Love supreme” DTR Modern Gallery, New York, NY March 2014 “A love affair” DTR Modern Gallery, Georgetown, Washington, DC December 2012 “Captivated” Coral Springs Museum of Art, Coral Springs, FL April 2012 “Stars and starlets” DTR Modern, New York, NY October 2011 “American Idols” Galerie Bartoux, Honfleur, France March 2011 “American Art” Museum Gallery of Modern Art, Sofia, Bulgaria November 2010 “Lost and found” Gallery Brown, Los Angeles, CA March 2010 “Chronicles of America” DTR Modern, Boston, MA October 2009 “Ruins and relics” Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA September 2009 “Notes from the road” Hubert Gallery, New York, NY April 2009 “Diamonds and rust” Art...

This Robert Mars, 'THE LONESOME CROWDED WEST' is a brow, black and tan contemporary figurative pop-art piece that measures 50 x 40 and is priced at $15,000. Robert Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and celebrates the icons of the 1950’s and 1960’s. His paintings evoke a vintage quality of design and pay homage to the idealized age of growth and hopefulness that was prevalent in the USA at the end of the Depression. At a time before the internet and mobile technology, where information was not instantly available to millions and there was no such thing as instant internet celebrities, Mars pays tribute to the people who lived as myths with unique, untouchable and unforgettable personalities. Robert Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and celebrates the icons of the 1950’s and 60’s by taking inspiration from this culture long past. Through the application of a rich color palette and tongue-in-cheek attitude, Mars’ paintings evoke a vintage quality of design and pay homage to the idealized age of growth and hopefulness that was prevalent in the USA at the end of the Depression. A time before the internet and mobile technology, where information was not instantly available to millions and there was no such thing as instant internet celebrities, and instead people lived with the myth of the unique, untouchable and unforgettable personalities of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn and Elvis Presley. By merging his own concept of personal idols with those of mainstream culture, Mars is able to focus his work on a deeper analysis of the Golden Age of American personalities. As an artist, he has always been fascinated with 1950’s and 60’s culture, and his early work reflects many of the architectural and mechanical icons from this era. Muscle cars, motels, logos and hulking monuments to the “modern” feeling of the time permeate his early canvases. More recently however, Mars’ artwork has shifted toward the culture of celebrity and he is amazingly attuned to the fact that these instantly recognizable and larger-than-life personalities continue to resonate with contemporary American culture. A graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York, Mars begins the creative process by preparing his surface with multiple layers of brown paper in order to define the edges and delineate the background planes of color. He then alternates layers of paint and vintage paper ephemera, sanding away portions of the layers as he works, revealing the desired portions of under painting with the overall intention to provide the viewer with a muted window into America’s past. Chronicling this fascination with 1950’s and 60’s iconography, Mars has produced a body of artwork from his studio in New York that celebrates the commonplace objects and icons of an America long past, in a thoroughly modern and exquisitely constructed manner. His eye for a distinct facet of American history is impeccable and his ability to manipulate the color and wordplay of vintage printed material has earned him reference with the likes of Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Richard Diebenkorn among other masters from the School of Pop. Robert Mars’ artwork is exhibited worldwide including museum collections in Munich, Tokyo, Amsterdam, London, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, Paris, Aspen and Naples. His artwork was selected for the Absolut Vodka Blank campaign alongside DamienHirst, and his largest sized piece to date was acquired by Philip Morris/Altria for their corporate headquarters in Virginia. In 2015 Mars was chosen for the cover of Neiman Marcus’ May Book, while Coca­Cola purchased several existing works and ordered commissions for a world tour celebrating the 100 year anniversary of their trademark bottle shape, in which his artwork was spotlighted. 2016 will see Mars as a featured artist for a custom high end wallpaper and tile series with Kari Whitman Interiors. He will have a solo exhibition at the Evansville Museum of Art in Indiana, where he will also be an artist in residence and guest lecturer. EDUCATION Parsons School of Design, New York, NY SOLO EXHIBITIONS May 2016 “Days were golden” Evansville Museum, Evansville, IN September 2015 “Boys are back in town” JoAnne Artman Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA October 2014 “A Love supreme” The Harvey B Gantt Center, Charlotte, NC September 2014 “Mars Attacks” JoAnne Artman Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA May 2014 “A Love supreme” DTR Modern Gallery, New York, NY March 2014 “A love affair” DTR Modern Gallery, Georgetown, Washington, DC December 2012 “Captivated” Coral Springs Museum of Art, Coral Springs, FL April 2012 “Stars and starlets” DTR Modern, New York, NY October 2011 “American Idols” Galerie Bartoux, Honfleur, France March 2011 “American Art” Museum Gallery of Modern Art, Sofia, Bulgaria November 2010 “Lost and found” Gallery Brown, Los Angeles, CA March 2010 “Chronicles of America” DTR Modern, Boston, MA October 2009 “Ruins and relics” Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA September 2009 “Notes from the road” Hubert Gallery, New York, NY April 2009 “Diamonds and rust” Art...

Robert Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and celebrates the icons of the 1950’s and 60’s by taking inspiration from thi...

Robert Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving fascination with the Golden Age of American popular culture and celebrates the icons of the 1950’s and 60’s by taking inspiration from thi...