Robert Hawkins is an American artist born in

Sunnyvale, California Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States. Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real (California), El Camino Real and U.S. Route 101 in California, Highway 1 ...

, USA and presently lives in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, UK.,"BIOGRAPHY"
''artnet'' (2014) Hawkins' is best known for his "ferocious" style of realism. His first drawing in a publication appeared in the kid's section of the

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

at the age of 5."ROBERT HAWKINS: THE POWER OVER NATURE SUITE"
''Creative Times'', October 2013

1960s

Hawkins' talent was recognized throughout his childhood and teenage years and won "The Best Artist Award" in both his Freshman and Senior years at

Homestead High School (Cupertino, California) Homestead High School is a four-year public high school serving western Sunnyvale, southern Los Altos, and northwestern Cupertino, in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Established in 1962, the school serves 2,405 students in grades ...

in the western section of Sunnyvale.

1970s

Hawkins moved from Sunnyvale to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in 1970 where he became involved in the

glam Glam is a shortened form of the word glamour. Glam or GLAM may also refer to: Film * ''Glam'' (film), a 1997 experimental drama film Institutions * University of Glamorgan, founded in 1913 and merged into the University of South Wales in 2013 ...

and then the early

punk music Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

and art scene. Attracted to

Haight Ashbury Haight-Ashbury () is a district of San Francisco, California, named for the intersection of Haight Street, Haight and Ashbury streets. It is also called the Haight and the Upper Haight. The neighborhood is known as one of the main centers of th ...

and the counter culture at first, in the end it was the natural beauty of the city, the public parks, cemeteries, and waterfronts that began to become the subjects of his artwork. Hawkins' kinship with nature led him to work at

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

before moving to New York in 1978.

1980s

During the 1980s, Hawkins created a presence within the early 80's art scene in lower Manhattan. His first group showing titled "Three Americans" at Club 57 was with fellow artists Edward Brezinski and

Brian Goodfellow Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word mea ...

in 1981. In 1980, Hawkins participated in a group show at the Mudd Club Gallery at the

Mudd Club The Mudd Club was a nightclub located at 77 White Street in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It operated from 1978 to 1983 as a venue for post punk underground music and no wave counterculture events. It was opened ...

curated by

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the Graffiti in New York City, New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual l ...

. Hawkins' first solo show was at the Anderson Theatre Gallery in 1983 curated by art dealer

Patrick Fox Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

, who would represent Hawkins throughout the 1980s. Fox opened the Patrick Fox Gallery in 1983, where Hawkins had another solo show. In 1985 Hawkins had a solo show at the Lynne Ida Gallery in Denver, Colorado. That year, Hawkins also had a solo show at Alexander Wood Gallery in New York. Hawkins then participates in a group show with artists,

Jack Barth Jack Barth is an Anglo-American writer. He has written for film, television, books and magazines, and is also a television producer. He is best known for creating the story that was the basis for the 2019 film '' Yesterday'' and his claim that Rich ...

Vincent Gallo Vincent Gallo (born April 11, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and musician. He has won several accolades, including a Volpi Cup for Best Actor, and has been nominated for the Palme d'Or, the Golden Lion, and the Bronze Horse. Gallo was ...

, Bruce Mellett and

Gustavo Ojeda Gustavo Ojeda (September 8, 1958 – August 23, 1989) was a Cuban-American painter. Biography Born in Havana, Cuba, Ojeda emigrated with his family in 1967, first to Spain and then to the United States, eventually settling in Fairfax, Virginia ...

at the Luhring Augustine and Hodes Gallery in New York in 1985. In 1986, Hawkins had another solo show with Patrick Fox at his new gallery now called

56 Bleecker 56 may refer to: * 56 (number) * One of the years 56 BC, AD 56, 1956, 2056 * 56.com, a Chinese online video platform * Fiftysix, Arkansas, an unincorporated community in the United States * Fifty-Six, Arkansas, a city in the United States * "Fifty ...

followed by a collaborative show with the fashion designer,

Stephen Sprouse Stephen Sprouse (September 12, 1953 – March 4, 2004) was an American fashion designer and artist. He is credited with pioneering the 1980s mix of "uptown sophistication in clothing with a downtown punk and pop sensibility". Sprouse received ...

at 56 Bleecker Gallery in 1987. "Dead Things by Living Artists" was Hawkins next 1987 show at Bond Gallery in New York.

1990s

In 1991, Hawkins participated in the group show, "Value Project" curated by Kathl in New York. In 1992, he had a solo exhibition, "Transformations" at The Lee Arthur Studio in New York followed by "The Pet Show", a group show at The Helander Gallery in New York. In 1993 he participated in the group show, "Urban Analysis" at the Barbara Braathen Gallery in New York. Another solo show in 1994 was at The Lee Arthur studio in New York, followed by a solo exhibit at The Leo-Tony Gallery in 1994, as well. In 1995, Hawkins has a solo exhibition at the

Grand Hotel Concord Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), ...

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, France, followed by participation in "Art Junction" at the

Palais de Festivals Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace **Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées **Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River in t ...

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

, France. In 1996, he participated in "Round Up" at The

Livestock Gallery Livestock are the domesticated animals that are raised in an agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to ...

in New York, followed by a solo exhibition at The Livestock Gallery titled, "Remix Show" in 1997. Another solo show followed in 1997 at Livestock Gallery, titled "Promenade Nocturne". In 1997 Hawkins also participated in a "Benefit for Pat Hearn", at The Pat Hearn Gallery in New York followed by participation in the group show, "Hybrid 1", at

The Kitchen A kitchen is a room used for the preparation of food. Kitchen, or The Kitchen, may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''Kitchen'' (1966 film), an American film * ''Kitchen'' (1997 film), a Hong Kong film * ''The Kitchen'' (1961 film ...

in New York. 1997 brought three more participations in group shows in New York; "Modern Myths" curated by Christopher Chambers at 450 Broadway Gallery, "Prime" at Livestock Gallery, and "More" curated by Tony Payne at The Xavier LaBoulbene Gallery. 1998 brought participation in two more New York group shows, "Pets" at the Bronwyn Keenan Gallery and "Sourpuss" curated by Christopher Chambers at the Abraham Lubelski Gallery. In 1998 Hawkins participated in "He Swam Down, Away" curated by Tony Payn at the

Massimo Audiello Massimo () is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: * Massimo Agostinelli (Max Agos) (born 1987), Swiss-based Italian American artist, entrepreneur and activist * Massimo Agostini (born 1964), Italian football man ...

Fine Art Gallery in New York followed by "Re

Duchamp Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp (, ; ; 28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer whose work is associated with Cubism, Dada, Futurism and conceptual art. He is commonly regarded, along with Pablo Pica ...

", curated by

Mike Bidlo Michael Bidlo (born 20 October 1953) is an American conceptual artist who employs painting, sculpture, drawing, performance, and other forms of "social sculpture". Early life and education Bidlo was born in Chicago, Illinois and studied at the U ...

at the Abraham Lubelski Gallery in New York in 1998, as well. Hawkins closed 1998 with "The Bowie Show" at the

Rupert Goldsworthy Rupert may refer to: * Rupert (name), various people known by the given name or surname "Rupert" Places Canada * Rupert, Quebec, a village *Rupert Bay, a large bay located on the south-east shore of James Bay *Rupert River, Quebec *Rupert's Land ...

Fine Art Gallery in New York. In 1999, Hawkins participated in "Real to Surreal" curated by

Mark Sink Mark Sink (born 1958, Denver, CO) is an American photographer best known for romantic portraiture. Some of his most recognizable images include documentation of life and work of artists such as Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard and o ...

at the

Museum of Contemporary Art Denver The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA Denver), in Denver, Colorado, was founded in 1996 as the first dedicated home for contemporary art in the city of Denver. For seven years, MCA Denver occupied a renovated fish market in Sakura Square in lower d ...

in Colorado followed by the group show, "The Bohio Benefit" curated by

Carlo McCormick Carlo McCormick is an American culture critic and curator living in New York City. He is the author of numerous books, monographs and catalogues on contemporary art and artists. Pedagogic and art writing activities McCormick was Senior Editor ...

at New York's

Charas/El Bohio CHARAS/El Bohio Community Center was a neighborhood organization and squatted community center in New York's East Village between 1979 and 2001. Background Public School 64, the 130,000-square-foot building in Manhattan's East Village that ...

in 1992, as well. That year, Hawkins illustrated an anthology of poems for the poet, critic and artist

Rene Ricard Rene Ricard (July 23, 1946 – February 1, 2014) was an American poet, actor, art critic, and painter. Life and career Albert Napoleon Ricard was born in Boston and grew up in Acushnet, Massachusetts, near New Bedford. As a young teenager he ran ...

titled, "Love Poems., edited by

Richard Hell Richard Lester Meyers (born October 2, 1949), better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer. Hell was in several important early punk rock bands, including Neon Boys, Television (band), ...

2000s

In 2000, Hawkins participated in the group show, "Heroes of the Unexplained" at The

Gracie Mansion Gallery Gracie Mansion Gallery was an art gallery in New York City founded by artist and dealer Gracie Mansion (née Joanne Mayhew-Young). It was an important site for the Lower East Side art scene of the 1980s. History Joanne Mayhew-Young changed her n ...

in New York. Hawkins lived in the

Battery Park The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan#Manhattan Island, Manhattan Island in New York City facing New York Harbor. The park is bounded by Battery Place on the north, with Bowling ...

neighborhood of the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are the hundreds of sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may also refer to: Buildings * World Trade Center (1973–2001), a building complex that was destroyed during the September 11 at ...

and lost his residence on

September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. His partner was from London and they moved there shortly thereafter. Hawkins had a solo exhibition at

Gracie Mansion Gracie Mansion (also Archibald Gracie Mansion) is the official residence of the mayor of New York City. Built in 1799, it is located in Carl Schurz Park, at East End Avenue and 88th Street in the Yorkville, Manhattan, Yorkville neighborhood of ...

Gallery in 2002. That year, Hawkins also participated in “Eighties Art Stars,” featuring works of

Jean-Michel Basquiat Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the neo-expressionism movement. Basquiat first achieved notoriety in the late 1970s as part of the graffiti ...

Richard Hambleton Richard Art Hambleton (June 23, 1952 – October 29, 2017) was a Canadian artist known for his work as a street artist. He was a surviving member of a group that emerged from the New York City art scene during the booming art market of the 1980s ...

, Keith Haring, Robert Hawkins and Rene Ricard at The

Fountain Walk Gallery A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were or ...

, Charleston, SC. In 2003 Hawkins participated in "Artists", a group show at The

Bowman Studio Bowman or Bowmans may refer to: Places Antarctica * Bowman Coast * Bowman Island * Bowman Peninsula Australia * Bowman Park, a park in South Australia * Bowmans, South Australia, a locality * Division of Bowman, an electoral district for the ...

in New York. In 2006, Hawkins participated in a London group show, "Drawings 1978-2006: Andy Warhol, Robert Hawkins and

Jonathan Meese Jonathan Meese (born January 23, 1970, in Tokyo) is a German painter, sculptor, performance artist, and installation artist based in Berlin and Hamburg. Meese's (often multi-media) works include paintings, collages, drawings and writing. He also ...

" at The

Pollock Fine Art Pollock or pollack (pronounced ) is the common name used for either of the two species of North Atlantic marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. ''Pollachius pollachius'' is referred to as "pollock" in North America, Ireland and the United Kin ...

Gallery in London. In 2008, Hawkins' work "How to Draw Andy Warhol" was published in

Interview Magazine ''Interview'' is an American magazine founded by pop artist Andy Warhol and journalist John Wilcock in 1969. The magazine, nicknamed "The Crystal Ball of Pop," features interviews of and by celebrities. Background In 1965, pop artist Andy War ...

, celebrating what would have been Warhol's 80th birthday. That year, Hawkins had a solo exhibition at The

Half Gallery One half is the multiplicative inverse of 2. It is an irreducible fraction with a numerator of 1 and a denominator of 2. It often appears in mathematical equations, recipes and measurements. As a word One half is one of the few fractions w ...

in New York

2010s

In 2010, Hawkins participated in

Sisley Art Project Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedica ...

's show at

The Warhol The Andy Warhol Museum is located on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the largest museum in North America dedicated to a single artist. The museum holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archi ...

curated by

Glenn O'Brien Glenn O'Brien (March 2, 1947 – April 7, 2017) was an American writer who focused largely on the subjects of art, music, and fashion. He was featured for many years as "The Style Guy" in ''GQ'' magazine and published a book with that title. He ...

. Hawkins was joined by fellow artists, Castronovo,

Rita Ackermann Rita Ackermann (born April 19, 1968) is a Hungarian-born American artist recognized for her abstract paintings that incorporate human forms, primarily focusing on themes of anthropomorphism and femininity. Her works, often depicting women and allu ...

, Frederick

Fab Five Freddy Fred Brathwaite (born August 31, 1959), more popularly known as Fab 5 Freddy, is an American visual artist, filmmaker, and hip hop pioneer. He is considered one of the architects of the street art movement. Freddy emerged in New York's downtown ...

Brathwaite,

Dan Colen Daniel Colen (born 1979) is an American artist based in New York. His work consists of painted sculptures appropriating low-cultural ephemera, graffiti-inspired paintings of text executed in paint, and installations. Early life and education Bor ...

, Ronnie Cutrone,

Jean-Philippe Delhomme Jean-Philippe may refer to: * ''Jean-Philippe'' (film) *Jean-Philippe (given name) See also * Jean Philippe Jean Philippe Gargantiel (, 27 November 1930 – 7 January 2022) was a French singer who represented France at the Eurovision Song Co ...

, Jane Dickson,

Duncan Hannah Duncan Rathbun Hannah (August 21, 1952 – June 11, 2022) was an American visual artist and author. Biography Born in Minneapolis, he attended The Blake School as a boy, and later Bard College, before transferring to the Parsons School of ...

Brad Kahlhamer Brad Kahlhamer (born 1956) is an artist known for his multi-media practice, ranging from sculpture and painting to performance and music. He is currently based in New York City, working from his studio in Brooklyn. His work has been collected by i ...

Nate Lowman Nate Lowman (born 1979 in Las Vegas Valley) is an American artist working in the genre of pop art. He grew up in Idyllwild, California, where he graduated from Idyllwild Arts Academy. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from New York Uni ...

Marco Perego Marco may refer to: People Given name * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor Surname * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Jindřich Marco (1921–2000), Czechoslovak photographer and numismat ...

Lee Quiñones George Lee Quiñones (born 1960) is a Puerto Rican artist and actor. Quiñones rose to prominence by creating massive New York City subway car graffiti that carried his moniker "LEE". His style is rooted in popular culture and often with politic ...

Tom Sachs Tom Sachs (born July 26, 1966) is an American contemporary artist who lives and works in New York City. Life and early career Sachs was born in New York City on July 26, 1966, and raised as a Reform Jew. He grew up in Westport, Connecticut, a ...

Kenny Scharf Kenny Scharf (born November 23, 1958) is an American painter known for his participation in New York City's interdisciplinary East Village art scene during the 1980s, alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. Scharf's do-it-yourself pract ...

Walter Steding Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

and

Ouattara Watts Ouattara Watts (born May 27, 1957) is an Ivory Coast-born American visual artist, known for his multimedia paintings that incorporate African and Western aesthetics and depict themes of spirituality and modernity. His work has been exhibited in re ...

. The works were auctioned at

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

New York to benefit The Warhol Museum. In 2011, Hawkins collaborated with

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

artist Liam Ryan for a two-man show of their works at The Residence Gallery in London. In 2013, Hawkins had a solo exhibit at The Residence Gallery titled, "Power over Nature Suite". In 2014, Hawkins participated in a group show, "In Dreams" at The Cob Gallery in London.

Criticism

Cookie Mueller Dorothy Karen "Cookie" Mueller (March 2, 1949 – November 10, 1989) was an American actress, writer, and Dreamlander who starred in many of filmmaker John Waters' early films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'', ''Pink Flamingos'', '' Female Trou ...

, (1983), ''

Details Magazine ''Details'' (stylized in all caps) was an American monthly List of men's magazines, men's magazine that was published by Condé Nast, founded in 1982 by Annie Flanders. Though primarily a magazine devoted to fashion and lifestyle, ''Details'' als ...

''... “It’s sensational, a banquet, a veritable luau of fantasies.” Rene Ricard, (1993,) ''Jean Michel Basquiat Catalog, Whitney Museum'' ..."You cannot name one painter of his generation comparison with whom Basquiat would not find laughable. the exception would be Robert Hawkins whose work Jean admired and collected" Glenn O' Brien (June 21, 2006), '' GQ Magazine'' ..."Robert Hawkins is not a big famous artist because he has resisted all attempts to make him that. And, up to a point, that was necessary and right. But now that he has a large, madcap, ferociously witty, and startlingly original body of work behind him; now that he has gone through his self-crucifixion phase and resurrected himself from the dead; now that he has allowed the smile to follow quickly the scowl; now, I think, it's time he can relax and enjoy making artwork on his own roving, druidical, picaroon, anarchic, swashbuckling terms." Breidenbach, Tom (October, 2008), ''

Artforum ''Artforum'' is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. The magazine is distinguished from other magazines by its unique 10½ × 10½ inch square format, with each cover often devoted to the work of an artist. Notably ...

'' ..."at once brooding and celebratory, a triumph of a sort of "outsider" aesthetic that refuses to be pinned down to one attitude, whether cynical. fantastical, or satirical."Breidenbach, Tom (October 200
"ROBERT HAWKINS, HALF GALLERY"
''halfgallery.com''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Robert 1950s births Living people Artists from New York City Year of birth missing (living people)