Charcoal Vol. II presents the charcoal drawings of American artist Robert Longo from 2012 to
the present. This large- format elaborately designed catalogue printed on natural paper using
a tritone process bound in half linen represents a continuation of the first volume together
they form a comprehensive compendium of this central oeuvre by the legendary New York artist
who was a key figure in founding the Pictures Generation in the 1980s. In this new catalogue
essays by Tim Griffin and Haley Mellin address the existential questions of our time that are
at the heart of these new large-scale hyperrealistic drawings: war violence capitalism the
rising division of American society the possibilities of political protest and individual
freedom in the face of the overwhelming power of the media. ROBERT LONGO (*1953 Brooklyn) is
one of the most influential artists of American postmodernism. After graduating from the State
University College in Buffalo New York in 1975 he became one of the central protagonists of
the Pictures Generation. Despite the diversity of their individual positions this loose group
around artists Cindy Sherman Barbara Kruger Louise Lawler David Salle Richard Prince Jack
Goldstein and Sherrie Levine is characterized by its use of already existing images
referencing mass media and pop culture. Longo lives and works in New York.
