Bruce Robbins (artist)

Bruce Robbins (born in Philadelphia, 1948) is an American artist. 
==Introduction==
In the mid-seventies, Robbins broke into the art scene as a new image sculptor with a series of painted and constructed ladder sculptures. The ladder works were symbolic motifs that connected the spiritual and earthly realms. By the late seventies, he moved on to create a series of post-modernist works called pilasters, which were shown at MOMA in New York, as well as the Venice Biennale's Art of the Seventies and the Rudolph Zwirner Gallery in Cologne. In the early eighties, he started making constructed paintings which, over time, developed into paintings on canvas, as well as sculpture and an extensive body of drawings. 
==Early life and education==
Bruce Robbins was born in Philadelphia in 1948. He grew up in a secular Jewish family with Orthodox Jewish grandparents who played a significant role in his formative years. During his childhood, Robbins attended the Fleisher Art Memorial on Saturdays after Hebrew school, and he was an active Boy Scout, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. This experience instilled in him a deep appreciation for nature conservation and a profound respect for the planet. He was encouraged by his atheist mother to be a free thinker and to explore artistic pursuits. While his works may subtly incorporate Jewish motifs, he perceives them primarily as symbols as an artist. Robbins studied History and Art History at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He then pursued Studio Fine Arts at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture and received a BA degree in Art History from Temple University. Afterward, he went on to earn a BFA from the Cooper Union School of Art and Architecture in New York City.
==Career==
===Galleries===
Throughout his career, Robbins has been affiliated with and exhibited at numerous galleries, including Parsons-Truman, Blum Helman, Rudolph Zwirner, Hans Strelow, Knoedler Zurich, Marlborough, Yoshii, Ronald Greenberg, Carol Taylor, Turske Whitney, John Berggruen, Cheryl Haines, and Cristinerose Galleries.
===Museums===
His work has been shown in museums such as the Stedelijk Museum in the “Recent Acquisitions” in Amsterdam, NL in 1980, the Whitney Museum of American Art in the “Biennale” in New York City, NY in 1981, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in the “International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture” in New York City, NY in 1983, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in the “Art of the States: Works from a Santa Barbara Collection” in Santa Barbara, California in 1983, the Art Cologne International Kunstmarkt in the “Szene New York” in 1983, the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown in the “50 th National Exhibition” in 1986, the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield, CT in the “Drawn on the Museum” in 1995, the Harn Museum of Art in the “Considerations of the Figure: Magdalena Abakanowicz and Bruce Robbins” in Gainsville, FL in 1996, as well as the Neuberger Museum in the “Outside In” at The State University of New York in Purchase, New York from June-December in 2001. A group of his work is also on permanent view at the Hess Collection Museum in Napa, California.
His work has received reviews in many national art magazines and newspapers.
===Selected Public Collections===
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Neuberger Museum, Purchase, NY
St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Museum Liner Appenzell, Switzerland
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Hess Collection, Napa, CA
Harn Museum of Art, Gainsville, FL
Hardwood Foundation Museum, University of New Mexico, Taos, New Mexico
Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
===Selected Corporate Collections===
Bank of America
Chemical Bank
Southeast Bank NA
IBM Zurich
Hess Collection
==Website==
www.brucerobbinsstudio.com (1976-2008)
www.brucerobbinsart.com (2009-present)
==Bibliography==
Roldan, Deborah L. “Bruce Robbins: Walls, Paintings, and Sculptures” (exhibition catalogue) Marlborough Chelsea, New York, New York, March 2009.
"Bruce Robbins: Walls" (exhibition catalogue) Marlborough Chelsea, New York, New York, March 2006.
Category:1948 births
Category:People from Philadelphia
Category:American people
Category:American artists