Walter Robinson born in 1950. He works as an artist and is also an important art critic. He also founding editor of the online art journal Artnet Magazine. As an artist, his work both spans and expands the fields of painting and imagery; his incisive explorations taking things ubiquitous to American society as a point of departure. He harvests imagery from magazines, films, posters, advertisements, pamphlets and catalogues, all synonymous with American consumerist lifestyles and takes these as a means of responding to today’s consumer culture. Robinson’s works are not only call out the conventions and commonplaces of the American imaginary, but also manifests its emotional reality.

 

In the 1980’s, Robinson was part of the American Picture Generation. He has also been referred to as a Neo-pop artist. An innovative practitioner, Robinson’s work has addressed themes touched on by a number of other artists. He produced Spin paintings ten years earlier for instance than Damien Hirst did. He also “apprehended” and “re-implemented” images of nursing staff initially employed in advertisements earlier even than Richard Prince. In a career that has matured over a course of decades, Robinson’s reconfigurations of everyday vernacular imagery have produced visual forms to exhibit American culture in its many facets. His works have been exhibited and are held in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art (New York), The Whitney Museum of American Art and other key institutions.

 

One-person exhibitions

 

2017    “Walter Robinson,” Inna Art Space, Hangzhou, China

            “The Americans,” Vito Schnabel Gallery, St. Moritz

            “Romance,” Galerie S. Bertrand, Geneva

2016    “Biology,” Stems Gallery, Brussels    

            “Walter Robinson: A Retrospective,” at Jeffrey Deitch, New York, September 2016

            Mystic Museum of Art, Mystic, CT, September 2016

           Jeff Bailey Gallery, Hudson, NY

           “Charles Bukowski & Walter Robinson: There’s a Bluebird in My Heart,” Owen James Gallery, Brooklyn

 

2014-16  “Walter Robinson: Paintings and Other Indulgences,” a retrospective at   the University Galleries, Normal, Ill.; traveling in January 2016 to Moore   College Galleries, Philadelphia; and Jeffrey Deitch, New York

 

2014    “Figure Studies,” Lynch Tham, New York, May 2014

            “Painkillers,” Tops, Memphis

2013    “Indulgences,” Dorian Grey Gallery, March 2013

2012    “Hello from New York,” Firecat Projects, Chicago, December 2012

 

2008    Metro Pictures, New York

 

1998    Cabinet Gallery, London

 

1995    Tricia Collins Grand Salon, New York

 

1986    Metro Pictures, New York

            Semaphore Gallery, New York

            Wessel O'Connor, Rome

            Zero One, Los Angeles

 

1985    Metro Pictures, New York (with Thomas Lawson)

            Piezo Electric, New York

            Zero One, Los Angeles

 

1984    Piezo Electric, New York

            Semaphore Gallery, New York (with Duncan Hannah)

            Metro Pictures, New York

 

1982    Metro Pictures, New York

 

Group exhibitions:

 

2017     “American Genre,” Maine College of Art, Portland

             “Gnomon,” Non-Objectif Sud, Tulette, France

             “Summer Group Exhibition,” Marlborough Contemporary

             “Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts,” American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York

             “Cake Hole,” Mrs., Maspeth, Queens

             “Zeitgeist,” MAMCO, Geneva

             “Fast Forward: Painting from the 1980s,” Whitney Museum

 

2016     “Desire,” cur. Diana Widmaier Picasso, Moore Building, Miami

             “Zombie Formalism,” Mitchell Algus, NY, October 2016

             “Infotainment,” Elizabeth Dee Gallery, NY, October 2016

            “Summer Show,” Galerie Bertrand, Geneva

            “Hanging Paper,” Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA

            “New West,” Molloy Gallery, NY, May 2016

            “Copy Paste,” curated by Chris Bors, “SPRING/BREAK Art Show,” New York

            “Don’t Make a Scene,” Kai Matsushima, New York

            “Hard Love,” curated by Barry Blinderman, Jose Martos, New York

 

2015     “Unrealism,” curated by Jeffrey Deitch, Moore Building, Miami

             “Only 2.5 Hrs from GWB,” curated by Pia Dehne, Hamden, New York, and Roxbury, New York

            “Sweet Smell of Success,” curated by James and Enzo Shalom, New York Hilton Hotel

            “Viewer Discretion … Children of Bataille,” curated by Kathleen Cullen, Stux + Haller, New York

            “La femme de trente ans,” curated by Caroline Soyez-Petithomme, art : concept Paris

 

2014    “To Your Health! The Science, Culture & Art of the Cocktail,” Everhart Museum, Scranton, Pennsylvania

            “Twenty by Sixteen,” curated by Geoffrey Young, Morgan Lehman, New York

            “un(Scene) art fair,” New York

            “SPRING/BREAK Art Show,” Skylight at Moynihan Station, New York

2014     “Spring/Break,” March 2014, New York

             “Bad Conscience,” Metro Pictures, Jan 16-Feb 22, curated by John Miller

 

2013     “Social Photography III,” Carriage Trade, N.Y.

             “Peter Angemann, Walter Robinson: Plein Air - Hot Romance, Sept. 22-Nov. 4, 2013, Kunstmuehle, Muersbach, Germany, curated by Thomas Eller

              “404 E 14,” Tibor de Nagy Gallery, June 20-Aug 2, 2013

              “All F*#king Summer,” Gavlak Gallery, Palm Beach

             “Found and Lost,” curated by Hope Sandrow, ArtSites, Riverhead, June 8-Aug   18

 

2012     “Bad for You,” curated by Beth Rudin deWoody, Shirazu Gallery, London

             “White Male Complex,” cur by Thomas Eller, Savvy Contemporary, Berlin, Nov 3-24, 2012

             “Times Square Show Revisited,” Hunter College Art Galleries, Sept. 14-Dec. 8

             “Claxon,” curated by Walter Robinson, Haunch of Venison, New York

             “Ping-Pong Basel Miami,” Projektraum M54, Basel, Switzerland

             “Data Trash,” curated by Chris Dorland, I-20, New York

             “Desperately Seeking Susan: Art from the 1980s,” Kathleen Cullen Fine Art

             “Loughelton Revisited,” Winkleman Gallery, New York

 

2011     "Social Photography," Carriage Trade, New York

             “Wit,” curated by Glenn O’Brien, Paddle8

             “Art, Access & Decay: New York 1975-1985,” curated by Peter Frank & Lisa Kahane, Subliminal Projects, L.A.

 

2009     “Nincompatibles,” Bowman Bloom, New York

             “Naked,” Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York

             “Looking at Music: Side Two,” Museum of Modern Art

             “Regift,” Swiss Institute, New York

             “Images & (Re)presentations,” Le Magasin, Grenoble

 

2008     “Market Forces,” Carriage Trade, New York (and traveling)

 

2004     “East Village USA,” New Museum of Contemporary Art

             “Stencil & Spray, ca. 1984,” The Proposition, New York

 

2003     “OnLine,” Feigen Contemporary, New York

             “First Person,” Gallery Schlesinger, New York

             “The Summer of Lust,” Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, Mass.

             “Nip and Tuck,” Artek Contemporaries, New York

             “After Matisse Picasso,” P.S. 1, New York

 

2002     “Something, Anything,” Matthew Marks Gallery, New York

            “Transcendent and Unrepentant,” Rosenwald Wolf Gallery, University of the Arts,

          Philadelphia

 

2000-01 “Post-Hypnotic,” touring show, Illinois State Galleries, Normal, Ill.

 

2000     Certain Things: Unlikely Treasures,” Elsa Mott Ives Gallery, New York

 

1999     “Mod!,” Tricia Collins Contemporary Art, New York

              “Village Disco,” Cabinet, London

1998     “Pets,” Bronwyn Keenan, New York

 

1997     "Consumption," Printed Matter, New York

 

1994     "Red," Barney's for Little Red Schoolhouse, New York

             "American Fine Arts Benefit," New York

 

1993     "Arachnosphere," Ramnarine Gallery, New York

             "Return of the Cadavre Exquis," Drawing Center, New York

             "Dolls in Contemporary Art," Haggerty Museum, Milwaukee

 

1992     "Works on Paper," Momentary Modern, Amsterdam

             "Tabloid," Sally Hawkins Gallery, New York

 

1991     "The Tree," Elysium Gallery, New York

 

1989     "Strange Attractors: Signs of Chaos," New Museum, New York

 

1986     "Signs of Painting," Metro Pictures, New York; Donald

            Young, Chicago

            "Paravision," Margo Leavin, Los Angeles

            "Tableaux Abstraits," Villa Arson, Nice

            "Greenberg's Dilemma," Loughelton, New York

            "Physics," Piezo Electric, New York

 

1985     "Auto/Genetic/Photopsia," Christminster, New York

 

1984     "Drawings: After Photography," Allen Memorial Art Museum,

             Oberlin (travels to four other venues)

             “Artists Weapons,” Ted Greewald Gallery

 

1983     "Art on Paper," Weatherspoon Art Gallery, Winston-Salem

             "Terminal New York," Brooklyn Army Terminal, New York

             “Sex,” Sharpe Gallery, New York

             “Artist/Critic,” White Columns, New York

 

1982     "Beast," P.S.1, New York

             "Image Scavengers," Institute of Contemporary Art,

             Philadelphia

 

1981     "Episodes," Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York

             "Real Life Magazine Presents," Nigel Greenwood, London

             “Island Show,” ABC No Rio, New York

 

1980     "Times Square Show," New York

             "Collaborative Projects Benefit Exhibition," Brooke

             Alexander Gallery, New York

             "A. More Store," 529 Broome Street, New York

             “Figuring,” Hallwalls, Buffalo

             “Real Estate Show,” 123 Delancey, New York

 

1979     “Batman Show,” 591 Broadway, New York

 

Collections

 

Museum of Modern Art

Weatherspoon Art Gallery, Winston-Salem

Hall Family Foundation

Nina and Frank Moore

Jeffrey and Maria Eugenides

Fabiola Beracusa

Michael and Sheila Rips

Tony Salame, Beirut