Robert Cottingham
Robert Cottingham is one of the most important realism painters in the American vernacular tradition. Concerned with America's mythos, Cottingham's hyperrealistic painting and print practice excises elements of highly recognizable Americana—such as art deco facades, neon signs, and movie marquees—from their geographic context to reframe society's collective understanding of national myths.
Cottingham was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. An advertising man by trade, Cottingham began painting seriously in the 60s. In 1968, Cottingham retired from advertising to devote himself to painting. Shortly thereafter, Ok Harris Gallery in New York introduced the art market to Cottingham's work. In 1998, Cottingham's expansive oeuvre was honored with a retrospective at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
