Russian Bomb, Lion's Gate, Shark 5, Ulysses (portfolio), 2011
Digital pigment prints on watercolour paper (set of 4)
Edition of 35
Russian Bomb (Semipalatinsk): 55,5 x 40 cm (21.6 x 15.7 in.)
Spanish Blood (Lion’s Gate): 50,3 x 40 cm (19.6 x 15.7 in.)
Shark 5: 50,2 x 40 cm (19.6 x 15.7 in.)
Ulysses: 50,3 x 40 cm (19.6 x 15.7 in.)
Each signed, dated, and numbered

The massive, photorealistic charcoal drawings by American artist Robert Longo (b. 1953 in New York) show the beauty and horror of the present day and age. His signature large-format works feature the tranquil grandiosity of Earth and the planets, roses in bloom, enchanted forests, or Gothic cathedrals with threatening images of atom bomb explosions, fighter pilots, monster waves, sharks and tigers.

"I think I make art for brave eyes. I don't want to make art that will pat you on the back and tell you everything is going to be okay. I want to make something that's much more confronting. You don't look at it, it looks at you as much as you look at it." — Robert Longo

The present Portfolio is made up of four works, encompassing the most renowned subjects of Longo`s production, presented in a highly collectible and domestic format. They are made exclusively from graphite and charcoal, which the artist uses with extraordinary flair and panache. 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.

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