Robin Barton (born 5 November 1958) is a British art dealer dealing primarily with Banksy's. Barton studied photography and graphic design at the

Exeter College of Art and Design Exeter College of Art and Design was an art college based in Exeter, Devon. Founded in 1854, it amalgamated with what would become Plymouth University in 1989. The main building was located at Earl Richards Road North Exeter from the 1970s w ...

and this was his first encounter with Russell Young. Moving to London in 1980 he began working as a freelance photographer for music and fashion publications '' Sounds'', ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', '' Blitz'', ''

The Face The face is a part of the body, the front of the head. Face may also refer to: Film * ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face'' * ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film * ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antoni ...

'' moving on to working regularly for pioneering ''

Independent Magazine ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' photographing amongst others

Sir Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including '' Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (1 ...

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor known for his well-to-do, macho image and "hellraiser" lifestyle. After making his first significant screen appearances in Hammer Horror films in the early 1960s, his ...

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awar ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous ...

and Sir Peter Hall. Later he worked for other publications ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, wh ...

'', ''

Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph'', also published by the Telegraph ...

'', ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the ...

'', ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', ''

Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

'' and ''

Blueprint A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing or engineering drawing using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets. Introduced by Sir John Herschel in 1842, the process allowed rapid and accurate production of an unlimited numbe ...

''. Four of his works have been placed with the National Portrait Gallery permanent collection:

Martin Clunes Alexander Martin Clunes OBE DL (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, comedian, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV comedy-drama series '' Doc Martin'' and Gary Strang in ''Men B ...

, Sir Paul Scofield,

Jack Charlton John Charlton (8 May 193510 July 2020) was an English footballer and manager who played as a defender. He was part of the England national team that won the 1966 World Cup and managed the Republic of Ireland national team from 1986 to 1996 ...

and Sir Peter Hall.

Curator

In 2007 he curated and hosted the controversial first showing of

Pete Doherty Peter Doherty (born 12 March 1979) is an English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist. He is best known for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie ...

Blood Paintings to coincide with the publication of his autobiography, '' Books of Albion''. Later in 2007 he curated his first

Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigram ...

exhibition in New York City at Vanina Holasek Gallery 502, West 27th Street.

Bankrobber London

In June 2007, he launched art dealership Bankrobber London, in London's

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Roa ...

, moving to its current location in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world ...

, Shepherds Market, London, in November 2013.

Banksy

Robin Barton purports to be a specialist in Banksy's work, featuring in Will Ellsworth-Jones' book ''The Man Behind the Wall''. Robin Barton and Bankrobber London were responsible for the sale of the

mural ''

Slave Labour Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

''. Earlier in 2014 Robin Barton and Bankrobber London were involved in the preservation of Banksy's ''

Spy Booth ''Spy Booth'' was an artwork by Banksy in Cheltenham, England. The piece has been seen as a critique of the global surveillance disclosures of 2013. In 2014, Robin Barton and Bankrobber London helped with the preservation of the artwork, and ...

'' in Cheltenham In late 2014, Barton was responsible for the removal and sale of Banksy's ''

Art Buff ''Art Buff'' is a graffiti artwork by Banksy which was created in Folkestone in 2014, Banksy announcing it as "part of the Folkestone Triennial, Folkestone triennial. Kind of". The work depicts a woman wearing headphones and staring at a plinth, ...

'', and putting it up for auction in aid of a cancer charity set up in memory of Jimmy Godden. However, none of these works can actually be authenticated as being by Banksy due to non-compliance on the part of Pest Control, the artist's appointed handling and authentication service. The removal of purported Banksy works from public locations is frequently protested by communities and local authorities in those locations, and thus attracts significant controversy. Robin Barton is one of a number of "Rob's" who make up the Banksy collective (along with Rob Del Naja and Rob Wheeler).

References

External links

Official Bankrobber London websiteBankrobber California
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, Robin 1958 births Living people People from Leamington Spa 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters Anonymous artists Banksy British art dealers English graffiti artists Guerilla artists Pseudonymous artists Street artists