Robert Cottingham

Empire

Gerd Leufert Title: Erebos Signed, titled, dated ‘91 and inscribed P/A in pencil (lower center) Screenprint on paper 23⅝ by 22⅜ in. / 60 by 56.8 cm. Executed in 1991, this work is an artist’s proof from an edition of 35 plus 1 artist’s proof. Provenance: Private Collection, Venezuela - Acquired from the above by the present owner - Sotheby's Auction “The first duty of the creator: restlessness,” Gerd Leufert wrote in 1985, looking back on his 30-year career as an artist, designer, museum worker, and professor of art in Venezuela.1 Bridging the worlds of commerce and culture in Caracas, Leufert’s impact on art and design owed to his interdisciplinary approach: the influence of cutting-edge developments in abstract art appeared in his graphic design, while the efficiency and bold contrast of mid-century design characterized his paintings. An immigrant born in German-controlled Lithuania at the cusp of the first World War, Leufert studied arts and design in Hannover, Mainz, and, finally, in Munich with the German typographer Fritz H...

Gertrud Goldschmidt (Gego) Untitled, 1974 Lithograph in colors on BFK Rives wove paper Registered with the Gego Foundation (FG-3647) 56 x 50 cm Signed, dated, and numbered in crayon....

Robert Cottingham is known for imagery that celebrates the history of communications in America, specifically neon signage on urban storefronts and signs on railroad cars. In 2008, Lincoln Center commissioned Robert Cottingham to commemorate the 46th anniversary of its Film Festival. Inspired by his earlier photographs of the Empire Theatre in Montgomery Alabama...

ROBERT COTTINGHAM Star, from American Signs portfolio, 2009 screenprint in colors, on wove paper, with full margins, 40 1/8 x 39 1/8 in (101.9 x 99.4 cm) signed, dated `2009' and numbered edition of 100 in pencil -- Robert Cottingham B. 1935, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK Born in 1935 in Brooklyn, Robert Cottingham is known for his paintings and prints of urban American landscapes, particularly building facades, neon signs, movie marquees, and shop fronts. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1955 through 1958, he earned a BFA at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, in 1963. Cottingham began his professional artistic career as an art director for the advertising firm Young and Rubicam in the early 1960s. Although he is typically associated with Photorealism, Cottingham never considered himself a Photorealist, but rather a realist painter working in a long tradition of American vernacular scenes. In this respect, his work often draws parallels to a number of American painters such as Stuart Davis, Charles Demuth, Edward Hopper, and Charles Sheeler. Cottingham’s interest in the intersections of art and commerce derive from his career as an adman and the influence of Pop art. Many of his paintings convey an interest in typography and lettering, as well as an awareness of the psychological impact of certain isolated words and letters. In his facades, techniques from advertising, namely cropping and enlarging, often produce words of enigmatic or comical resonance such as “Art,” “Ha,” or “Oh.” Cottingham’s enlarged sense of scale is reminiscent of James Rosenquist’s work, while his interest in text suggests the influence of Robert Indiana and Jasper Johns. In general, Cottingham viewed his work as continuing the legacy of Pop artists such as Andy Warhol, who also had a background in advertising. In 1964, Cottingham relocated to Los Angeles for work. There, inspired by the drastically different environment of the West Coast metropolis, he began to commit seriously to painting. Fascinated by Hollywood’s exaggerated glitz and the downtrodden atmosphere of the downtown, Cottingham saw in Los Angeles the relics of a bygone commercial heyday and desired to capture its kitschy and uncanny atmosphere, bathed in the near perpetual sunlight of Southern California. In 1968, Cottingham ended his advertising career in order to devote all his time to painting. In the late 1960s, he started using photography in his practice, first as an initial reference point for his process. After selecting a photograph, he translates it into black-and-white drawings by projecting the image onto gridded paper...