Robert Longo to speak at AFA ArtTalks
Wednesday, May 25, 2005, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
American Federation of Arts
41 East 65th Street, New York
www.afaweb.org
Internationally acclaimed artist Robert Longo will discuss his work, which though increasingly introspective, reflects the appropriation of images from existing photographic sources and the mood of emotional conflict and violence for which he is best known.
Seating is limited, and reservations are required. Call 212.988.7700 ext. 64.
Robert Longo, who became synonymous with pictorial art in the 1980s, will discuss his unique large-scale works, his influences, and the inspiration for his images as part of AFAs lecture series, ArtTalks. ArtTalks will be held on Wednesday, May 25, 2005, at 6:30 p.m. at the AFA, located at 41 East 65th Street, New York. Following the talk, audience members are invited to join the artist for an intimate reception. Seating is limited and reservations are required. For reservations, please call 212.988.7700, ext. 64. ArtTalks is presented by Target Stores.
Born in Brooklyn in 1953, Robert Longo obtained his BFA from the State University of New York, Buffalo, in 1975. During his studies there, he co-founded Hallwalls, a studio and exhibition space for contemporary art, with Cindy Sherman. After graduation, Longo moved to New York because he was invited to participate in the seminal 1977 Artists Space show, Pictures. In New York, he continued to experiment with sculptural, pictorial, and performance work that would become the foundation for his ongoing interest in utilizing the multi-disciplinary potential of art. Blending techniques from the worlds of photography, video, painting, and drawing, Longos work seemed to mirror the media-infused climate of the United States in the Reagan era. In 1980, he had his first one-person exhibition, in Europe at Studio dArte Cannaviello in Milan. The following year, his first New York solo show, Men in the Cities, at Metro Pictures, brought him international critical acclaim.
For the past two decades, Longo has continued to produce works in monumental scale that touch on social, political, and economic issues. Regardless of the medium, he consistently explores the importance of images in our society and investigates the individuals relationship to these images. In addition to painting and drawing, his work has included theatre projects (for the Salzburg Festival), performances (collaborations with Bill T. Jones and Eric Bogosian), sculpture, photography, feature films (he directed 1995s Johnny Mnemonic), and music videos (he directed videos for R.E.M. and New Order).
In 1989, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art mounted a major retrospective of Longos work. He has also had solo exhibitions at Museum Haus Lange and Haus Esters, Krefeld, Germany; the Brooklyn Museum; the Albertina, Vienna; Galeria Soledad Lorenzo, Madrid; Gallery Hans Mayer in Dusseldorf; and Galerie Piece Unique, Paris. His work is in numerous private and public collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the Tate Gallery, London; the Art Institute of Chicago; and the Broad Foundation, Los Angeles. Most recently, Longo was included in the 2004 Whitney Biennial. He is also the 2005 recipient of the Goslar Kaiser Ring, one of the most prestigious awards in modern art.
The AFA is a nonprofit institution that organizes art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the world, publishes exhibition catalogues, and develops educational and professional development program. For more information, log on to our Web site at www.afaweb.org.
