Robert Loughlin: Works from the Collection of Paul Johnson, 25 July 2018 < Auctions

Auction /25 July 2018 Noon ct

The first-ever auction dedicated to the artist Robert Loughlin. This special sale features more than 60 works acquired by Paul Johnson over the course of twelve years.

Robert Loughlin Mollino Table $8,000–10,000

What inspires your ideas?

Great design and men.

Robert Loughlin Untitled (tool chest) $1,000–1,500

Over the course of his lifetime, cult artist Robert Loughlin created a rich body of work. Self-trained, Loughlin moved to New York in the 1980s and became immersed in the art, design and gay subculture. His art exhibits the divergent influences of Dada, graffiti and Pop.

Most famously, Loughlin obsessively painted a repeated image of iconic masculinity: a square-jawed man with dangling cigarette. Rendered over decades on an incredible array of objects, existing art works and surfaces, the face expresses a range of expressions from cool detachment to brooding menace.

Shunning established galleries, Loughlin sold his work exclusively to acquaintances and friends, largely from the 26th Street flea market that he frequented for decades until his untimely death in 2011.

Robert Loughlin Untitled $4,000–5,000

Exhibition Announcements

•

Flyer for Robert Loughlin at Tracey Garet Gallery, New York in 1985

Robert Loughlin Good Karma Lighter $2,000–3,000

Why did you become an artist?

To make money to survive and to have fun.

Robert Loughlin Untitled $1,500–2,000

An Interview with Robert Loughlin

In 2011, Robert Loughlin was interviewed by Gary Carlson, longtime friend, partner and champion of his work.

GARY: Let’s start at the beginning. When were you born?
ROBERT: I was born in 1949 on a Naval base in Alameda, California.

GARY: Tell us a little bit about your childhood.
ROBERT: My mother and father were mostly absent. I was forced to be both a provider and mother for my brothers and sisters. I left school at sixth grade, stayed home a lot and listened to FM radio. I learned to be resourceful and be a survivor.

GARY: When did you become interested in painting?
ROBERT: I became interested in being an artist later on in life. It was in Miami Beach in 1980. I was interested in the Cubans I would see. At about the same time, the New York City social and arts scene was exploding. Taking up painting in Miami Beach was my attempt to have a connection to New York since in those days there were no people in the arts in Miami Beach. It was like a ghost town.

GARY: Have you had any formal training as an artist?
ROBERT: No, I have not had any training. I didn’t go to high school. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned from doing it.

GARY: You’re well known for being a picker for New York City’s high society. How did you become a picker?
ROBERT: I became a picker out of necessity. As I started doing it, I realized I had a good eye and that I could make a living doing it. I’ve always bought what I liked and focused on great design and excellent quality.

GARY: What are some of your best finds?
ROBERT: I found a Salvador Dali painting, an Andy Warhol self-portrait and electric chair paintings, as well as a 1917 Russian supremacist teapot that is now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

GARY: Who were some of your clients?
ROBERT: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Mapplethorpe and Andy Warhol were clients. Andy referred to me as the “Chairman” since I was always bringing him interesting chairs. I was one of the few individuals whom Andy allowed in his factory after he was shot.

GARY: Since you knew Andy Warhol better than most, what did you enjoy about working with Warhol?
ROBERT: Warhol appreciated everything.

GARY: How did you make the transition from being a high-society picker to being an acclaimed artist?
ROBERT: Everything happened very fast. As I was picking, I was also experimenting with my artwork. A lot of what I was doing was inter-related and since I had a strong interest in 20th Century and Industrial Design I used that as inspiration and as a complement for my work. As I became more comfortable, I started selling it alongside my other finds I was selling at local markets.

GARY: You are considered an expert in 20th Century and Industrial Design, how did you acquire this knowledge?
ROBERT: By trial and error and learning by doing.

GARY: What was it like “being on the art scene” in the eighties?
ROBERT: Everything happened so fast. I was always on the fringe of everything I did.

GARY: What artists defined the era of the eighties? How were you associated with these artists?
ROBERT: Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Robert Mapplethorpe. I became aware of these artists through hanging out at the same gay bar. Many became clients and friends.

GARY: Who are some of your favorite artists?
ROBERT: Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Beuys, and Andy Warhol.

GARY: What inspires your ideas?
ROBERT: Great design and men.

GARY: What constant elements make up a Loughlin painting?
ROBERT: A sense of a cosmic joke. Not taking anyone or anything too seriously. The “brute” has a special quality of the face and as an abstraction.

GARY: The “brute” man is a reoccurring figure in your paintings. What influenced your creation of him?
ROBERT: A pre-1960s ideal of a man.

GARY: What is the reason most of your paintings include the “brute”?
ROBERT: That is where my hand takes me.

GARY: Your paintings are often completed on found objects. What is the reason for this?
ROBERT: Something to paint on.

GARY: Why did you become an artist?
ROBERT: To make money to survive and to have fun.

GARY: What is the purpose of your work?
ROBERT: To expand consciousness.

GARY: There has been a significant amount of interest in your work recently. What is the reason for this?
ROBERT: Those people are crazy.

Robert Loughlin Untitled (foot) $2,000–3,000

There has been a significant amount of interest in your work recently. What is the reason for this?

Those people are crazy.

Robert Loughlin True Grits $1,500–2,000

Robert Loughlin Untitled $6,000–8,000