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.
$149,500
Study of Ferguson Riot Cops, Original Ink and Charcoal Drawing, Signed, 2015
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. Acquired by our g...
Paper, Ink
$12,000
“Untitled (Gun Study D-309), 1993” Body Hammer Series Drawing Signed Glock 19
By Robert Longo
Located in Yardley, PA
Emerging in the late twentieth century with his celebrated “Men in the Cities” series, Robert Longo quickly established himself as a draftsman of rare discipline, transforming media ...
Paper, Charcoal, Carbon Pencil, Graphite
Barnyard Chat
By John B. Lear
Located in New York, NY
Graphite on paper Signed and dated, l.r. 13.5 x 10.5 inches, sheet 21.25 x 17.25 inches, frame This drawing is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. John Lear is an America...
Paper, Graphite
$4,500
H 14 in W 11.875 in D 1.25 in
“Mushrooms and Watch, c. 1970” Ink Drawing Pop Art Conceptual Sketch Study
By Claes Oldenburg
Located in Yardley, PA
This spontaneous and evocative ink sketch by Oldenburg offers a glimpse into the artist’s conceptual process, capturing his signature transformation of everyday objects into playful,...
Paper, Ink
$3,775
H 16.88 in W 22.25 in
Schooner St. Croix Watercolor on Paper, American Realist, Signed, 1952
By Emilio Sanchez
Located in New York, NY
Emilio Sanchez (1921-1999) created the watercolor entitled “Schooner St. Croix” in 1952. This piece is signed in pen at the lower right and titled on the verso. The paper size is 16.88 x 22.25 inches. Stamped on verso "Estate of Emilio Sanchez." Good to very good condition. “Best known for his architectural paintings and lithographs, Emilio Sanchez (1921-1999) explored the effects of light and shadow to emphasize the abstract geometry of his subjects. His artwork encompasses his Cuban heritage...
Watercolor, Graphite
Self Portrait
By Jerry Berneche
Located in Columbia, MO
Jerry Berneche (1932 - 2016) was a painter and draftsman of representational scenes and portraits featuring extraordinary color work and extremely detailed mark-making. Locally he is...
Graphite
1930s Nude Figure Study
Located in Soquel, CA
Gorgeous 1930s figure drawing of a seated female nude by student of Lee Fritz Randolph (American, 1880-1956), 1937. Signed "Randolph," "C.S.F.A." for California School of Fine Art and dated "6/28/37" upper right. "C.S.F.A" and "6/28/37" lower right. Unframed. Image size, 25"H x 10"L. We believe a student of Lee Randolph...
Paper, Charcoal, Pencil
Drawing Compositions 1977
By Joseph Piccillo
Located in Buffalo, NY
Known primarily for his work depicting horses, Joseph Piccillo also finds intrigue in the human form. Utilizing a grid format his charcoal and graphite portraits are organized as "ti...
Canvas, Graphite, Paper
$20,000
H 8.25 in W 8.5 in
Andy Warhol Study of Shoes Work on Paper, circa 1956
By Andy Warhol
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This work is unique. Work comes with a Certificate of Provenance issued by Christie’s. Stamped on the verso by the Estate of the Artist and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visua...
Paper, Ink, Graphite
$900
H 15 in W 15 in D 0.1 in
Artist Tracey Emin Working. Watercorlor on paper.
By Manuel Santelices
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Movies, TV and magazines are constant source of inspiration. Fame, as fleckring and shallow it can be sometimes, is very intriguing to him. The worlds of fashion, society and pop cu...
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
$900
H 15 in W 15 in D 0.1 in
Saturday Night with Artists Karen Kilimnik and Elizabeth Peyton painting
By Manuel Santelices
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Movies, TV and magazines are constant source of inspiration. Fame, as fleckring and shallow it can be sometimes, is very intriguing to him. The worlds of fashion, society and pop cu...
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
$900
H 15 in W 15 in D 0.1 in
Artist Cindy Sherman discovers Instagram - Watercolor on paper
By Manuel Santelices
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Movies, TV and magazines are constant source of inspiration. Fame, as fleckring and shallow it can be sometimes, is very intriguing to him. The worlds of fashion, society and pop cu...
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
Untitled (Seated Young Woman)
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Untitled (Seated Young Woman) Graphite on Veritable Papier d'Arches wove paper, 1970 Signed and dated lower right (see photo) Condition: Excellent Image/sheet size: 15 x 11 1/4 inch...
Graphite
$900
H 15 in W 15 in D 0.1 in
Art dealerd Jeffrey Deitch Protected by His Angels Warhol and Basquiat
By Manuel Santelices
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Movies, TV and magazines are constant source of inspiration. Fame, as fleckring and shallow it can be sometimes, is very intriguing to him. The worlds of fashion, society and pop cu...
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
$9,500
H 10.8 in W 12.75 in D 2 in
Ed Ruscha - signed letter to artist Bill Radawec: "I Forged Your Signature"
By Ed Ruscha
Located in New York, NY
Ed Ruscha - signed letter to artist Bill Radawec: "I Forged Your Signature", 1976 Letter handwritten in ink in postmarked (Franked), mailed postcard Handwritten hand signed note writ...
Ink, Postcard
$18,000
H 8.75 in W 6 in
Even More Friends of Jason, including Dzama, from Estate of Jason Polan, Signed
By Marcel Dzama
Located in New York, NY
Marcel Dzama Even More Friends of Jason, including Dzama, from the Estate of Jason Polan, double sided work with self portrait on the back, 2019 Mixed media collage with ink, waterco...
Ink, Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Graphite
$650
H 10 in W 8 in
Collaborative Contemporary Surrealist Cartoon Drawing Humphrey + Coates
By Jennifer Coates
Located in Surfside, FL
signed by both in pencil verso. dated. Surrealist cartoon drawing. Actual drawing size is 5.75 X 5.75. Their collaborative works on paper emerge out of an ongoing relationship where...
Paper, Ink
Sold
H 17.75 in W 15.25 in D 2 in
“Untitled (Gun Study D-310), 1993” Body Hammer Series Drawing Signed .38 Special
By Robert Longo
Located in Yardley, PA
Emerging in the late twentieth century with his celebrated “Men in the Cities” series, Robert Longo quickly established himself as a draftsman of rare discipline, transforming media ...
Paper, Charcoal, Carbon Pencil, Graphite
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
Untitled (Pillow from Consulting Room Couch, 1938)
By Robert Longo
Located in London, GB
Graphite and charcoal on paper mounted on board 120 x 128cm/ 47 ¼ x 50 3/8 inches (unframed) 125 x 133 cm/ 49 ¼ x 52 ¼ inches (framed) Unique From the Freud Drawings Series Exec...
Charcoal, Graphite
Study for Race Crash
By Robert Longo
Located in New York, NY
Study For The Heroes Series
By Robert Longo
Located in New York, NY
With an extraordinary level of intricacy and finish, this ink and charcoal study belonging to Longo's Heroes series depicts a helmeted fighter pilot seen in three-quarter view. Executed with the instantly recognizable, monochromatic draftsmanship that has become Longo's signature, the work evidences the artist's ongoing concern with the iconography of power, and his unwavering exploration of images that inspire anxiety, fear, and awe. Sculptor, painter, and draftsman Robert Longo (American, b.1953) is well known for his bold drawings and sculptural works fusing pop culture and Fine Art. Longo was born in Brooklyn, New York, and his love of pop culture, cartoons, and print media as a child later significantly influenced his art. Longo attended the University of North Texas in Denton before deciding to study sculpture back in New York; he later received a BFA from SUNY Buffalo. After establishing a cooperative gallery in Buffalo during his college years, he joined a circle of underground artists working in New York City in the early 1980s. He created both drawings and sculptures examining issues of masculinity, power, mass media, and urban lifestyles, and has been critically recognized for works such as his Men in the Cities series, featuring men and women in business attire shown contorted in odd poses, and his depictions of American flags painted over in black. Work from the Men in the Cities series is prominently featured in the apartment of fictional character Patrick Bateman...