Robert Kushner

Artist Biography

Robert Kushner is both painter and sculptor. He gained attention in the early ’70s as a performance artist, using food, fabric, and nudity. Kushner was associated with the Pattern and Decoration Movement and used fabric collage in large-scale, bold paintings of the figure. Since 1987 he has used flowers as the subject of his paintings, more recently adding a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables to his repertoire. Kushner’s use of rich color harmonies and bold, fluid drawing, mark his belief in the importance of beauty in our lives. Kushner has collaborated with Master Printer Bud Shark since 1982 on various monotypes and lithographs. These exuberant, sensuous prints often include collage elements, including glitter, chine collé, metal leaf, and hand-coloring.

Selected Collections: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA; Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, NY; The Metropolitan Museum, New York, NY; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Tate Gallery, London, England.

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