Robert Neffson (born December 28, 1949) is an American painter known for his

photorealistic Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term can be ...

street scenes of various cities around the world, museum interiors and for early still lifes and

figure painting A figure painting is a work of fine art in any of the Painting#Painting media, painting media with the primary subject being the human figure, whether clothed or Nude (art), nude. Figure painting may also refer to the activity of creating such ...

s.Hammer Galleries biography
/ref>

Life

Neffson was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and grew up in

Little Neck, New York Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

. He was raised by a single father, after his mother, an artist, died when he was seven. He began attending classes at the Art Students League of New York in 1961, under the instruction of artists such as Lennart AndersonArt Students League biography
/ref> and

Edwin Dickinson Edwin Walter Dickinson (October 11, 1891 – December 2, 1978) was an American painter and draftsman best known for psychologically charged self-portraits, quickly painted landscapes, which he called ''premier coups'', and large, hauntingly enigma ...

.Art Students League past instructors
/ref> As a student he copied

old master In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

s at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in New York and the

Boston Museum of Fine Arts The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

. His study of, among others, the painters

Jan Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , , see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. During his lifetime, he was a moderately succe ...

Thomas Eakins Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists. For the length ...

, Camille Corot, and

Canaletto Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school. Painter of city views or ...

, developed his skills further. While attending the

Boston University College of Fine Arts The Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) at Boston University consists of the School of Music, the School of Theatre, and the School of Visual Arts. Each school offers degrees in the performing and visual arts at the undergraduate and grad ...

, from which he graduated '' cum laude'' in 1971, Neffson's work attracted the attention of his professors, including James Weeks and the

abstract expressionist Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

painter,

Philip Guston Philip Guston (born Phillip Goldstein, June 27, 1913 – June 7, 1980), was a Canadian American painter, printmaker, muralist and draftsman. Early in his five decade career, muralist David Siquieros described him as one of "the most promising ...

. He also studied at the

Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture is an artists residency located in Madison, Maine, just outside of Skowhegan. Every year, the program accepts online applications from emerging artists from November through January, and selects 65 ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

and the

Tanglewood Institute The Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) is a summer music training program for students age 10 to 20 in Lenox, Massachusetts, under the auspices of the Boston University College of Fine Arts. History BUTI was envisioned in 1965 when E ...

in Lenox, Massachusetts, both on full scholarship. Achieving his master's degree in Fine Arts for Painting in 1973, again from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

, Neffson taught briefly at the DeCordova Museum in

Lincoln, Massachusetts Lincoln is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 7,014 according to the 2020 United States Census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base that live within town limits. The town, loc ...

, and

Fisher College Fisher College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts. The college is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). History Fisher College was founded in 1903 by Myron C. Fisher and Edmund H. Fisher under the nam ...

in Boston. He received the Massachusetts Arts and Humanities FoundationMassachusetts Arts and Humanities Foundation
/ref> and the Elizabeth T. Greenshields Memorial FoundationGreenshields Memorial Foundation
/ref> Grants in support of his work. In 1976, Neffson's life and work were significantly changed when he was awarded the Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship for Painting in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. During his stay in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, he met William BaileyBetty Cuningham Gallery
/ref> at the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

, who had a strong influence on his still life paintings at the time. Upon his return in 1977, Neffson was given a year long Artist-in-Residence Grant by the Roswell Museum and Art CenterRoswell Artist-in-Residence Program
/ref> in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

, followed by teaching positions at Arizona State University in Tempe and Pennsylvania State University. At that time he received a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Visual Artist GrantPA Council on the Arts
/ref> in 1983. He has also taught at Pratt Institute in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York and has continued to teach ''Painting from Life'' for many years at the Art Students League of New York.

Work

Neffson was a member of the First Street GalleryFirst Street Gallery
/ref> in New York from 1978 to 1985, during which time he had numerous solo exhibitions, as well as group shows with such fellow artists as Catherine Murphy. While represented from 1985 to 1998 by Gallery HenochGallery Henoch
/ref> in New York City, he was inspired by

Richard Estes Richard Estes (born May 14, 1932 in Kewanee, Illinois) is an American artist, best known for his photorealist paintings. The paintings generally consist of reflective, clean, and inanimate city and geometric landscapes. He is regarded as one of ...

and

Chuck Close Charles Thomas Close (July 5, 1940 – August 19, 2021) was an American painter, visual artist, and photographer who made massive-scale photorealist and abstract portraits of himself and others. Close also created photo portraits using a very l ...

and was among a group of second-generation

Photorealist Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term ca ...

painters that were exhibiting in

SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

galleries such as O. K. Harris Works of ArtO. K. Harris
/ref> and Louis Meisel Gallery.Meisel Gallery
/ref> In 2004, Neffson was commissioned to create a painting of the near-completed new 7 World Trade Center building, which was presented to developer

Larry Silverstein Larry A. Silverstein (born May 30, 1931) is an American businessman. Among his real estate projects, he is the developer of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City, as well as one of New York's tallest resident ...

Silverstein Properties Silverstein Properties, Inc. (SPI) is a family held, full-service real estate development, investment and management firm based in New York City. Founded in 1957 by Chairman Larry Silverstein, the company specializes in developing, acquiring, a ...

in a ceremony presided over by New York State Governor

George Pataki George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. An attorney by profession, Pataki was elected mayor of his hometown of Peekskill, New York, and went on ...

and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.Lowermanhattan.info
/ref> In 2007, Neffson authored the catalog to the British painter Clive Head'sClive Head
/ref> exhibition at Marlborough Fine Arts, London.Marlborough Fine Arts
/ref> The text consists of an introduction and letters between the two artists centered on their discussion of the creative process.Art Data
/ref> Robert Neffson joined Hammer Galleries in 1998, the New York institution. He has also exhibited at London's Plus One GalleryPlus One Gallery
/ref> since 2005. In 2009 he was invited to join the Bernarducci.Meisel Gallery in New York City. The director of the gallery, Louis K. Meisel, originated the phrase Photorealism in 1968, which was first used in a Whitney Museum catalog in 1970. Neffson also began exhibiting with the Albemarle Galleryhttp://albemarlegallery.com in London during the same year. He continues to produce works that are exhibited and collected internationally.

Exhibitions

2021 "Art Miami" Louis K. Meisel Gallery, Miami, Florida, USA 2020 “High Fidelity: Anthony Brunelli and the Digital Age Photorealists” Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY 2019 "Selected Photorealism" Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York, NY 2019. "Food for Thought" A Selection of Small Works Curated by Susan Meisel, Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York, NY 2019. "Panoramic Views" Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York, NY 2018 "Museum Insider" SOLO show, Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York, NY 2017 "From Lens to Eye to Hand " Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY 2017 ""Photorealism: 50 Years of Hyperrealistic Painting", Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL 2016 "An Historical Overview of Photorealist Cityscapes Robert Bechtle, Richard Estes, John Salt and others" Bernarducci.Meisel Gallery, New York, NY 2016 Bernarducci.Meisel Gallery, SOLO show, New York, New York 2015 Bernarducci.Meisel Gallery "Cityscape Paintings: Looking From the Outside In, A Group Exhibition" New York, New York 2013-2014 "Hyperrealism 1967-2012" Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza Madrid, Spain; Kunstmuseum Thun, Switzerland; Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, UK; Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Netherlands; World Cultural Heritage Völklinger Hütte, Germany 2013 "The Louis & Susan Meisel Collection" Butler Institute of American Art Youngstown, OH, USA 2013 "Photorealism Revisited", Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma, USA 2012 "Photorealism Painting with a Camera" Kunsthalle Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany 2012 Bernarducci.Meisel Gallery, SOLO show, New York, New York Robert Neffson is based in

, where he lives with his wife, Karin Choy and their dog, Bagel.

References

External links

* http://RobertNeffson.com * http://HammerGalleries.com * http://PlusOneGallery.com * http://TheArtStudentsLeague.org * http://MetMuseum.org * http://BernarducciMeisel.com * http://Whitney.org * http://AlbemarleGallery.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Neffson, Robert 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists 1949 births Living people Art Students League of New York faculty Art Students League of New York alumni Painters from New York City People from Douglaston–Little Neck, Queens 20th-century American male artists