Robert Longo

"Robert Longo (1953- ) is noted as a painter, sculptor, performance artist and video artist. He received his BFA in 1975 from the State University College in Buffalo, NY, with a professed ambition to reach the largest possible audience. In his early work, notably a series of large-scale drawings in charcoal and graphite entitled ""Men in the Cities"" (e.g. Untitled, 1.52?1.98 m, 1981; Atlanta, GA, High Mus. A.), he treated contorted, life-size human figures in isolation or in group situations in which the struggle for power created a menacing atmosphere.

He also produced monumental works combining flat images derived from photographs with elements in sculptural relief, such as ""Sword of the Pig"" (1983; London, Tate). During the late 1980s he was increasingly involved with films such as ""Arena Brains"" (30 minutes, 1988), which depicts life in the SoHo district of Manhattan."