Robert Mars
Solid Gold, 2018
Mixed media on panel with epoxy resin
24 x 24 in
61 x 61 cm
61 x 61 cm
Copyright The Artist
Mars’ artwork is exhibited worldwide including museum collections in Munich, Tokyo, Amsterdam, London, Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, Paris, Aspen and Naples. Mars' latest solo exhibition in...
Mars’ artwork is exhibited worldwide including museum collections in Munich, Tokyo, Amsterdam, London, Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, Paris, Aspen and Naples. Mars' latest solo exhibition in 2016 was at the Evansville Museum of Arts in Indiana, where he will also be an artist in residence and guest lecturer.
Chronicling a fascination with 1950’s and 60’s iconography, Robert Mars (American, b.1969) is a Contemporary artist known for depicting elements of American popular culture, particularly the icons of the 1950s and 1960s. His works blend elements of irony with a rich colour palette, and pay tribute to celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, and Elvis Presley.
A graduate of the Parsons School of Design in New York, Mars begins his works by preparing the surface of the canvas with several layers of brown paper in order to define the edges and delineate the background planes of colour. He then alternates layers of paint and scraps from old magazines, sanding away portions of the layers as he works to distress the images, later adding resin or neon, with the aim of evoking a vintage quality. Working in his studio in New York, Mars focuses on commonplace objects and icons, drawing inspiration from artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Richard Diebenkorn.
Alongside Damien Hirst, Mars' artwork was selected for the Absolut Vodka Blank campaign. His largest monumental piece to date was acquired by Philip Morris/Altria for their corporate headquarters in Virginia. In 2015, Mars was chosen for the cover of Neiman Marcus’ May Book. Also in the same year, Coca-Cola purchased several existing works and ordered commissions for a world tour celebrating their centennial anniversary of their trademark bottle shape in which Mars debuted his Coca-ColaPopforms. Robert Mars artworks are also in the institutional collections of Coral Springs Museum of Art, International Museum of Collage and New Bedford Art Museum, as well as in the corporate collections of Microsoft, adidas, Nike, Inc., Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Oceania Cruises, Prps, and Monopol Hotel Collection in St. Moritz.[3]
Chronicling a fascination with 1950’s and 60’s iconography, Robert Mars (American, b.1969) is a Contemporary artist known for depicting elements of American popular culture, particularly the icons of the 1950s and 1960s. His works blend elements of irony with a rich colour palette, and pay tribute to celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, and Elvis Presley.
A graduate of the Parsons School of Design in New York, Mars begins his works by preparing the surface of the canvas with several layers of brown paper in order to define the edges and delineate the background planes of colour. He then alternates layers of paint and scraps from old magazines, sanding away portions of the layers as he works to distress the images, later adding resin or neon, with the aim of evoking a vintage quality. Working in his studio in New York, Mars focuses on commonplace objects and icons, drawing inspiration from artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Richard Diebenkorn.
Alongside Damien Hirst, Mars' artwork was selected for the Absolut Vodka Blank campaign. His largest monumental piece to date was acquired by Philip Morris/Altria for their corporate headquarters in Virginia. In 2015, Mars was chosen for the cover of Neiman Marcus’ May Book. Also in the same year, Coca-Cola purchased several existing works and ordered commissions for a world tour celebrating their centennial anniversary of their trademark bottle shape in which Mars debuted his Coca-ColaPopforms. Robert Mars artworks are also in the institutional collections of Coral Springs Museum of Art, International Museum of Collage and New Bedford Art Museum, as well as in the corporate collections of Microsoft, adidas, Nike, Inc., Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Oceania Cruises, Prps, and Monopol Hotel Collection in St. Moritz.[3]