Robert L. Williams, often styled Robt. Williams (born March 2, 1943), is an American

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

, and founder of '' Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine''. Williams was one of the group of artists who produced '' Zap Comix'', along with other underground

s, such as Robert Crumb,

S. Clay Wilson Steve Clay Wilson (July 25, 1941 – February 7, 2021) was an American underground cartoonist and central figure in the underground comix movement. Wilson attracted attention from readers with aggressively violent and sexually explicit panoramas ...

, and Gilbert Shelton. His mix of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

car culture Since the start of the twentieth century, the role of cars has become highly important, though controversial. They are used throughout the world and have become the most popular mode of transport in many of the more developed countries. In deve ...

cinematic Cinematic describes anything related to ''cinema''. It may refer to: any movie updates, cinema nights, cinematic review Film-related * Cinematic cutscene, a sequence in a video game that is not interactive * Cinematic music, original music writt ...

apocalypticism Apocalypticism is the religious belief that the end of the world is imminent, even within one's own lifetime. This belief is usually accompanied by the idea that civilization will soon come to a tumultuous end due to some sort of catastrophic ...

, and

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

helped to create a new genre of psychedelic imagery.

Biography

Early life and education

Robert L. Williams II was born on March 2, 1943, in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

, to Robert Wandell Williams and Betty Jane Spink. At a very early age, he displayed an interest in drawing and in painting with

watercolors Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

. He was enrolled in the Stark Military Academy in the first grade; perhaps, this led to his collecting German ''

Pickelhaube The ( pl. ; from german: Pickel, lit=point' or 'pickaxe, and , , a general word for "headgear"), also , is a spiked helmet that was worn in the 19th and 20th centuries by Prussian and German military officers, firefighters and police. Althoug ...

n'' later in life. Williams was instilled at an early age with a love for car culture. His father owned The Parkmore, a drive-in restaurant, complete with carhops, which was frequented by

hot rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made ...

ders. Williams received his first car at 12 years old, as a gift from his father: a 1934 Ford five-window coupe. References to his childhood environment can be seen throughout Williams' work, as well as in the custom hot rods which he would later build himself. He became so skillful at painting

specular reflection Specular reflection, or regular reflection, is the mirror-like reflection of waves, such as light, from a surface. The law of reflection states that a reflected ray of light emerges from the reflecting surface at the same angle to the su ...

from chromed auto parts that he later drew the chrome parts for other comix artists, who then drew the rest of the auto. The Williams household was unstable, as his parents married each other a total of four times. During his early childhood, Williams was shuttled between Albuquerque, New Mexico, and his father's home in Montgomery, Alabama. The parents' final separation occurred in 1956, after which 12-year-old Robert lived with his mother in Albuquerque. He became a

delinquent Delinquent or delinquents may refer to: * A person who commits a felony * A juvenile delinquent, often shortened as delinquent is a young person (under 18) who fails to do that which is required by law; see juvenile delinquency * A person who fa ...

, immersed in hot rods, hi-jinx, and

street gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collective ...

s; this led to his being expelled from public school in the eleventh grade. To avoid the possibility of a jail term, Williams moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in 1963, at the age of 20. There, he enrolled in art courses at

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campu ...

, where he contributed artwork to the school's paper, ''The Collegiate'', and met Suzanne Chorna, his future wife. After that, he briefly attended the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

(formerly the Chouinard Art Institute), where he was branded an "illustrator" in derogatory fashion. Now married, Williams left art school and became a professional artist in search of work. He worked for '' Black Belt'' magazine and designed containers for the Weyerhaeuser Corporation, before he found his dream job in 1965, working with Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.

Art and comix career

In the late 1960s, while doing advertisements and graphics for Roth, Williams was also a productive oil painter. It was during this period that he created his "Super Cartoon" paintings, which included ''Appetite for Destruction'' (which depicts a robotic rapist about to be punished by a metal avenger) and ''In the Land of Retinal Delights''. These paintings were meticulously created in the style of the

old masters In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

, using hand-made paints and multiple layers of

varnish Varnish is a clear transparent hard protective coating or film. It is not a stain. It usually has a yellowish shade from the manufacturing process and materials used, but it may also be pigmented as desired, and is sold commercially in variou ...

.''Malicious Resplendence'' 1997 The "Super Cartoon" works sold well but were very time-consuming to produce, sometimes requiring more than a year. In 1969 Williams joined the '' Zap Comix'' collective of artists with the infamous issue number 4 of Zap Comix. He flourished within the non-conformist, anti-establishment art movement of that time, along with Robert Crumb,

, Gilbert Shelton, Spain Rodriguez, Rick Griffin, and Victor Moscoso. That same year, he created Coochy Cooty, his seminal

underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority ...

antihero. His creation was unleashed in 1970 in ''Coochy Cooty Men's Comics'' and in many issues of ''Zap Comix'', and is still alive today in Williams's oil paintings. 1970 was also the last year of Williams employment with Roth studios. Many of Williams' comix and "Super Cartoon" paintings were included in his first book, ''The Lowbrow Art of Robt. Williams'', which was published in 1982 by Rip Off Press. The title of the book was meant as a statement about the highbrow tone of the art world, which was antithetical to Williams's artwork. In the 1980s, Williams became involved with the punk rock movement and found his next audience. During this period, he published ''Zombie Mystery Paintings'', which influenced and inspired a multitude of artists with its vibrant, sexy, and ultra-violent images. These works were done quickly, on rough canvas, and were sold via a waiting list due to heavy demand. In addition to Williams's books, the popularity of his work was established in galleries known for lowbrow art, such as Billy Shire's La Luz de Jesus Gallery, 01 Gallery, and the Tamara Bane Gallery. ''Visual Addiction'' was Williams's next book of paintings. The works it contained were more tightly rendered and began to contain detailed background elements and vignettes. This book also contained Williams's "Rubberneck Manifesto," which stated that "Something dead in the street commands more measured units of visual investigation than 100 ''

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best kno ...

''s!" Williams published several more books as his work progressed in content, style, and size. His paintings moved from "zombie sex" to

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, ...

and had sold-out shows on both coasts, generating demand for them from around the world. He influenced other artists and gave them a voice through publications such as ''Art? Alternatives'' in 1992, and later, '' Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine''. Williams founded ''Juxtapoz'' in 1994; the magazine propelled many new artists to fame and rose to become one of the most-circulated art magazines. The year 1997 saw the publication of the retrospective ''Malicious Resplendence'' and his one-man show at the Shafrazi Gallery in New York. Two more Shafrazi shows followed, in 2000 and 2003. These works were published in ''Through Prehensile Eyes'' in 2005. His next one-man show was in 2009, once again at the Shafrazi Gallery; it was titled "''Conceptual Realism: In the Service of the Hypothetical''." A catalog of the same title was published. This exhibition moved to

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

in 2010, where Williams provided a tour of the works, as well as a lecture defining his art movement, Colloquial or Exploratory Realism (Feral Art). In 2010, Williams was busy with his inclusion in the

Whitney Biennial The Whitney Biennial is a biennial exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, United States. The event began as an annual exhibition ...

at the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–194 ...

in New York and with the release of a feature-length documentary film about himself. This was titled ''Robert Williams, Mr. Bitchin'' and premiered on June 16, 2010, at the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 19 ...

, where it received a standing ovation. The film was produced by Rhino Films and Foundation Films and documents Williams's rise to fame from his car-culture and underground-comix roots. On October 9, 2010, Williams was given a lifetime achievement award as part of the Beyond Eden Fair in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

. In 2011, Williams took part in the Los Angeles Art Fair and delivered another lecture on his art movement. His work was also included in the "''Two Schools of Cool''" show at the Orange County Museum of Art. Williams has participated with other artists in "The Art Boys," a venture which included such notables as Gary Panter, Matt Groening, The PIZZ, Mike Kelley, Neon Park, and Mark Mothersbaugh. In 2015, Williams achieved a 51-year goal. After attending the 1964

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

exhibition at the

Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery is located in the Barnsdall Art Park in Los Angeles, California. It focuses on the arts and artists of Southern California. The gallery was first established in 1954. Main building The Los Angeles Municipal ...

, Williams vowed to have his own work displayed in the same institution. This vision was realized in ''"Robt. Williams: Slang Aesthetics,"'' which ran from February 22 thru April 19, 2015, setting the highest recorded attendance at over 20,000 visitors. The exhibition included new paintings and sculptures as well as a retrospective of past works, and was accompanied by a catalog of the same name as well as a 20-year anniversary group show for ''Juxtapoz'' magazine. Thematically, Williams postulates that slang is a valid form of communication: "In fact, slang represents freedom from pretension allowing artists to function as they please." October 2019, Williams released a career-spanning book showcasing all of his paintings, drawings, and sculptures to date. ''"Robert Williams: The Father of Exponential Imagination"'', comprising 484 pages and weighing over 10 pounds, was also accompanied by a full retrospective exhibition of the same name at the Bellevue Arts Museum from October 4, 2019 to March 8, 2020. Of exponential imagination, Williams states: "...In the case of exponential creativity, previously existing compounded ideas pursue irrational directions as they metastasize with unmanageable poetic abstraction. In other words: a calculable explosive aberration, sometimes in the guise of art..."

Personal life

Williams currently lives in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

in California with his wife Suzanne, who is also a professional artist. He is also a

unicyclist A unicycle is a vehicle that touches the ground with only one wheel. The most common variation has a frame with a saddle, and has a pedal-driven direct-drive. A two speed hub is commercially available for faster unicycling. Unicycling is practice ...

In popular culture

Robert Williams was referenced in the 1991 Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Mellowship Slinky in B Major" on the album '' Blood Sugar Sex Magik''. Williams's art and personal rat rod were featured in the music video for the song "Who Was in My Room Last Night?" from the

Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has ...

' 1993 album ''

Independent Worm Saloon ''Independent Worm Saloon'' is the sixth album by alternative rock band Butthole Surfers, released in 1993 on Capitol Records. The band chose to follow a heavier orientation for most of the record, following the hiring of producer John Paul Jone ...

''. Williams's painting ''

Appetite for Destruction ''Appetite for Destruction'' is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It was released on July 21, 1987, by Geffen Records. The album was released to little mainstream attention in 1987. It was not until the following ...

'' was used as the cover art on

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...

debut album which was also given the same name as the painting after Williams approved. Later public outrage forced Geffen Records to move the image to the inside sleeve.

Critical reception

The antics of Coochy Cooty and such paintings as ''Oscar Wilde in Leadville'' and ''Appetite for Destruction'' caused controversy. Here is Williams's response, excerpted from a 1992 interview: Of his paintings, Williams has stated, "My paintings are not designed to entertain you; they are meant to trap you, to hold you before them while you try to rationalize what elements of the picture are making you stand there." Of the term "lowbrow," Williams steadfastly denies that the term was ever meant to define his work, saying that it was merely used in the title of his first book (''The Lowbrow Art of Robert Williams''): "There was never any intention to make the title of my book the name of a fledging art movement, but over time, that seems to be what has transpired." And on being the driving force of the Lowbrow/Pop Surrealism art movement, he said, "It's been called Lowbrow Art and Pop Surrealism and a bunch of different names, but it's a feral art. It's an art that raised itself in the wilderness." In a 2015 phone interview, Williams emphasized: "The art movement I go by is 'Colloquial' or 'Exploratory Realism'... 'Feral Art'."Sketch V interviewer. Phone interview with Williams to address errors on this page (August 5, 2015).

Exhibitions and collections

Williams has exhibited in galleries known for lowbrow art such as Billy Shire's La Luz de Jesus Gallery, 01 Gallery, and the Tamara Bane Gallery. Known collectors of his art include Nicolas Cage, Leonardo DiCaprio,

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

Anthony Kiedis Anthony Kiedis ( ; born November 1, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is a founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis and his fellow band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of F ...

, Von Dutch, Stanislav Szukalski, Ed Ruscha, and Timothy Leary. * 1970-80 ''"Robert Williams"'' Jim Brucker's Movie World (Buena Park, California) * 1980 ''"Robert Williams"'' California Alternative Gallery, (Los Angeles, California) * 1982 ''"Zombie Mystery Paintings"'' Zomo Gallery, (Los Angeles, California) * 1984 ''"Art Boys Open Class"'' Graffiti Gallery, (Los Angeles, California) * 1985 ''"Thinking Eye"'', (Los Angeles, California) * 1986 ''"Robert Williams"'' Psychedelic Solution, (New York, New York) * 1987 ''"Robert Williams"'' La Luz De Jesus Gallery, (Los Angeles, California) * 1987 ''"Messages From A Drunken Broom"'' Psychedelic Solution, (New York, New York) * 1988 ''"Felonious Demeanor"'' Psychedelic Solution, (New York, New York) * 1989 ''"Robert Williams"'' La Luz De Jesus Gallery, (Los Angeles, California) * 1990 ''"Robert Williams"'' Tamara Bane Gallery, (Los Angeles, California) * 1992 ''"Robert Williams Paintings"'' Bess Cutler Gallery, (New York, New York) * 1995 ''"Psychopathia Aesthetica"'' Mambo Gallery, (Sydney, Australia) * 1995 ''"Visions In The Venacular"'' Tamara Bane Gallery, (Los Angeles, California) * 1997 ''"Malicious Resplendence"'' Shafrazi Gallery (New York City) * 1998 ''"Robert Williams: New York"'' Huntington Beach art Center, (Huntington Beach, California) * 2000 ''"Best Intentions"'' Shafrazi Gallery (New York City) * 2005 ''"Robert Williams, Through Prehensile Eyes"'' Otis College Of Art + Design (Los Angeles, California) * 2009 ''"Conceptual Realism: In the Service of the Hypothetical,"'' Shafrazi Gallery (New York City) * 2010 ''"Conceptual Realism: In the Service of the Hypothetical,"''

* 2010

(New York City) * 2011 Los Angeles Art Fair (Los Angeles, California) * 2011 ''"Two Schools of Cool,"'' Orange County Museum of Art (Newport Beach, California) * 2015 ''"Robt. Williams: Slang Aesthetics,"'' Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (Los Angeles, California) * 2015 ''"Robt. Williams: Slang Aesthetics,"'' Museum of Sonoma County (Santa Rosa, California) * 2016 ''"Robt. Williams: Slang Aesthetics,"'' Santa Fe Museum Of Contemporary Art (Santa Fe, New Mexico) * 2017 ''"Robt. Williams: Slang Aesthetics,"'' Fort Wayne Museum Of Art (Fort Wayne, Indiana) * 2018 ''"Robt. Williams: Slang Aesthetics,"'' Louisiana State University Museum Of Art (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) * 2019 ''"Robert Williams: The Father Of Exponential Imagination"'' Bellevue Arts Museum (Bellevue,Washington)

Publications

* ''The Lowbrow Art of Robt. Williams'' ( Rip Off Press, 1981; re-issued by Last Gasp, 1994) * ''Zombie Mystery Paintings by Robt. Williams'' (

Blackthorne Publishing Blackthorne Publishing, Inc. was a comic book publisher that flourished from 1986–1989. They were notable for the ''Blackthorne 3-D Series'', their reprint titles of classic comic strips like Dick Tracy, and their licensed products. Blackthorne ...

, 1986) — introduction by Robert Crumb * ''Visual Addiction: The Art of Robt. Williams'' (Last Gasp, 1990) — out of print * ''Views from a Tortured Libido'' (Last Gasp, 1993) * ''Malicious Resplendence'' ( Fantagraphics, 1997) * ''Hysteria in Remission'' (Fantagraphics, 2002) * ''Through Prehensile Eyes'' (Last Gasp, 2005) — nominated for the

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the p ...

for Best Art Book * ''The Hot Rod World of Robt. Williams'', by Mike LaVella ( Motorbooks, 2006) * ''Conceptual Realism: In the Service of the Hypothetical'' (Fantagraphics, 2009) * ''Slang Aesthetics'' (Baby Tattoo Books, 2015) * ''Robert Williams: The Father Of Exponential Imagination'' (Fantagraphics, 2019)

References

External links

*
"Lowbrow God"
Robert Williams lecture from the L.A. Paint show at the Oakland Museum of California in 2008.

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

video, requires Flash.
"Abstract Leanings: The Hot Rod World of Robt. Williams"
Gallery of some of Robert Williams' automobile related oil paintings. * Williams defines his art movement, Conceptual Realism.
The History Of The Rat Rod, Part II: Robert Williams’ Eights & AcesRobert Williams: The Father Of Exponential Imagination. Documents the show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Robert 1943 births American comics artists American graphic designers American illustrators 20th-century American painters Artists from California California Institute of the Arts alumni Living people Kustom Kulture artists Los Angeles City College alumni Underground cartoonists Unicyclists 21st-century American painters