United States
6 Works exhibited
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Chronicling a fascination with 1950’s and 60’s iconography, Robert Mars has produced a body of artwork from his studio in Connecticut that celebrates the commonplace objects and icons of an America long past in a thoroughly modern, and exquisitely constructed, manner.
His eye for a distinct facet of American history is impeccable, and his ability to manipulate both the color and wordplay of vintage printed material has earned him reference with the likes of Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Richard Diebenkorn, among other masters from the School of Pop. By taking inspiration from the Golden Age of American popular culture and celebrating figures of the 1950’s and 60’s, Mars’ artwork chronicles an evolving relationship with celebrity. Through the application of a rich color palette and tongue in cheek attitude, Mars’ paintings evoke a vintage quality of design and pay homage to the idealized age of growth and hopefulness that was prevalent in the USA at the end of World War II. A time before the internet and mobile technology, where visual information was not constantly blasted to millions, and there was no such thing as instant digital celebrities, where instead people lived with the myth of the unique, untouchable and unforgettable personalities of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, Elvis Presley, and many others.
By merging his own concept of personal idols with those of mainstream culture, Mars is able to focus his work on a deeper analysis of the Golden Age of Americana. His early work focuses on many of the architectural and mechanical forms of the 50’s and 60’s, where muscle cars, motels, kitschy logos, and hulking monuments to the “modern” feeling of the time reigned supreme. More recently, however, Mars’ artwork has shifted toward the culture of celebrity, and he is strikingly attuned to the fact that these instantly recognizable and larger than life personalities continue to resonate not only with contemporary American culture, but with a worldwide market.
In 2014, after serious reflection upon his artistic thought, his process, wanting to explore traditionalism from another angle, and through influence from his wife, Mars began to delve deeper into American culture by focusing on Folk Art and Contemporary American Quiltmakers. By combining vintage wallpapers with quilt patterns Mars was able to further differentiate himself from the scores of artists using similar iconic themes. Mars is credited as being the first to incorporate quilt patterns and a folk art sensibility into a pop art aesthetic creating his own genre of folk laced pop.
A graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York, Mars often references his decades as a graphic designer in his work. He begins the creative process by preparing his surface with multiple layers of vintage magazine paper in order to define the edges and delineate the background planes of color. He then alternates layers of paint and vintage paper ephemera, sanding away portions of the layers as he works, revealing the desired portions of under painting with the overall intention to provide the viewer with a muted window into America’s past.
Robert Mars’ artwork is exhibited worldwide including museum collections in Munich, Tokyo, Amsterdam, London, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, Paris, Aspen and Naples. His artwork was selected for the Absolut Vodka Blank campaign alongside Damien Hirst, and his largest sized 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, while CocaCola purchased several existing works and ordered commissions for a world tour celebrating the 100 year anniversary of their trademark bottle shape, in which his artwork was spotlighted. 2016 will see Mars as a featured artist for a custom high end wallpaper and tile series with Kari Whitman Interiors. Mars will have a solo exhibition at the Evansville Museum of Art in Indiana, where he will also be an artist in residence and guest lecturer. Later in the year Mars will be in group shows at the Coca-Cola Museum and the Cornell Museum in Delray Beach. He will also have his first solo show in Montenegro with Mead Carney Fine Art.
June 2016 – The Golden Age, Mead Carney Porto Montenegro, Montenegro
May 2016 – Days Were Golden, Evansville Museum, Evansville, IN
September 2015 – Boys Are Back in Town, JoAnne Artman Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
October 2014 – A Love Supreme, The Harvey B. Gantt Center, Charlotte, NC
September 2014 – Mars Attacks, JoAnne Artman Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
May 2014 – A Love Supreme, DTR Modern, New York, NY
March 2014 – A Love Affair, DTR Modern, Washington, DC
December 2012 – Captivated, Coral Springs Museum Of Art, Coral Springs, FL
April 2012 – Stars and Starlets, DTR Modern, New York, NY
October 2011 – American Idols, Galerie Bartoux, Honfleur, France
March 2011 – American Art, Museum Gallery of Modern Art, Sofia, Bulgaria
November 2010 – Lost and Found, Gallery Brown, Los Angeles, CA
March 2010 – Chronicles of America, DTR Modern, Boston, MA
October 2009 – Ruins and Relics, Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
September 2009 – Notes from the Road, Hubert Gallery, New York, NY
April 2009 – Diamonds and Rust, Art Department Gallery, Atlanta, GA
July 2008 – Beauty in Hindsight, Guestroom Gallery, Portland, OR
April 2008 – Fading Trails, Hubert Gallery, New York, NY
February 2008 – Viva Lost Vegas, Peter Blake Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
March 2007 – Gas, Food, Lodging, Kidder Smith Gallery, Boston, MA
November 2017 – Iconic Patterns, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Dallas, TX
July 2017 – Lonesome Crowded West, w/ Stephen Wilson, Exhibit by Aberson, Tulsa, OK
September 2016 – Fifteen Minutes, Cornell Museum, Delray Beach, FL
May 2016 – Effervescence, Coca-Cola Museum, Atlanta, GA
September 2015 – Robert Mars and Matt Devine, DTR Modern, Boston, MA
September 2014 – The Art of Cinema, DTR Modern, Boston, MA
April 2013 – TedxPDX, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
March 2006 – BraveArt 06, Vancouver, B.C.
July 2005 – Commons, Basefield Projects, Melbourne, Australia
April 2005 – 24Fifty Gallery, San Francisco, CA
February 2004 – Modart, Munich, Germany
September 2003 – From the Ground Up, New Bedford Art Museum, New Bedford, MA
August 2003 – What is Compound, Rocket Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
July 2003 – Into the Void, Compound Gallery, Portland, OR
February 2003 – Modart, Munich, Germany
Ronald McDonald House
John Joseph and Nancy Hanright
Emir Bahadir/BHDR
Benjamin Fernández/Minart Museum
National Art Museum of Sport, Indiana
Evansville Museum of Art
Coca-Cola
Andruw Jones/Atlanta Braves
It Cosmetics
Neiman Marcus
Philip Morris/ Altria
Coral Springs Museum Of Art
Monopol Hotel St Moritz
Bank of America
Wells Fargo
Absolut Vodka
Oceania Cruise Lines
Microsoft
adidas US
International Museum of Collage, Assemblage, and Construction
PRPS
Jeff and Des Schaller
Scott and Jane Maxwell
Maria Contomina
ESPN X Games Division
Nike Communications
New Bedford Art Museum
Wade Ehrlich Design
Cherner Auto Group
United Legwear
Edward Belbruno
Elyse Walker
Jim Albaugh
Wes Engram/New York Mets
Rob Manfred/MLB Commissioner
Bob Bowman/MLB President
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