More about Robert Williams: Fearless Depictions
About the Exhibition
The Long Beach Museum of Art is pleased to present Robert Williams: Fearless Depictions, a survey exhibition featuring 57 paintings spanning from 2001 to the present, along with two large-scale sculptures by the iconic Southern California artist. Robert Williams’ epic, cartoon-inspired history paintings draw deeply from American vernacular culture and its visual slang, using concrete, relatable, and often absurd imagery to deliver sharp social commentary.
Raised amid the custom hot rod scene in New Mexico before relocating to Southern California, Williams immersed himself in the world of automotive art and design. He studied at the Chouinard Art Institute, where he honed his skills as an illustrator while much of the art world turned toward Abstract Expressionism and Conceptualism. His career began in commercial art, including serving as studio art director for Kustom Kulture legend Ed “Big Daddy” Roth in 1965. By the late 1960s, Williams was a founding contributor to the underground ZAP Comix, all the while producing his own caustic and unapologetic works. In 1994, he founded Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine—a publication devoted to the underground—which has since become the top-selling art magazine worldwide.
Exhibition support provided by RVCA Artist Network Program
The RVCA Artist Network Program, commonly referred to as the ANP, is an ongoing program which aims to showcase the talent of accomplished as well as unknown artists who inspire our generation and push the boundaries of creativity; providing something of substance and culture.
To RVCA, an artist is not someone who just paints a picture, or writes a song, but someone who is dedicated to sharing with the world their life, emotions, and soul through innovative and creative ideas. RVCA and the ANP were developed to shake the very foundations of business, by giving back to the artists and providing a voice for their creative growth.