Of his work, Robert Cottingham has said that, “Printmaking is an alternative art world. For me, it provides a perfect opportunity to escape the solitude of the painting studio. I relish the spirit of collaboration and experimentation of the print shop, the trial and error procedures, the happy accidents, and the inevitably unpredictable results that this process offers. In addition to all this, printmaking makes visual ideas more accessible.”
Robert Cottingham was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1935 and received his B.F.A. from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. Cottingham is a painter best-known for his photo-realistic depiction of signs, storefront marquees, railroad boxcars, letter forms, and recently, cameras and typewriters. He held his first solo show in New York City at O.K. Harris Gallery in 1971. He has also exhibited in many seminal group shows throughout the United States, France and Germany.
A retrospective exhibition of prints by Robert Cottingham traveled from 1986 through 1991 to thirteen national venues including the Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City, MO; the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; and the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, Connecticut. In 1993, Cottingham began his ambitious project, An American Alphabet, completing twenty-six canvases in three years, as well as a corresponding series of watercolors and drawings.
Another retrospective of Cottingham’s print media work took place in 1998 at what is now known as The Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. Robert Cottingham’s work can be found in the following public collections – the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.; the National Academy of Design, New York; the Orlando Museum of Art, Florida; the Seavest Collection of Contemporary American Realism, University of Virginia Art Museum.
Cottingham, Robert
1988 Woodcut in colors on paper on rice paper Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil 35 x 35 in. (89 x 89 cm), unframed Edition of 48 SOLD(from the Travel Notes portfolio) 2005 Chromogenic print on Fuji Flex paper Signed and numbered 20 ¼ x 19 7/8 in Edition of 9 SOLD(from the Travel Notes portfolio) 2005 Chromogenic print on Fuji Flex paper Signed and numbered 20 ¼ x 19 7/8 in Edition of 9 SOLD(from the Travel Notes portfolio) 2005 Chromogenic print on Fuji Flex paper Signed and numbered 20 ¼ x 19 7/8 in Edition of 9 SOLD(from the Travel Notes portfolio) 2005 Chromogenic print on Fuji Flex paper Signed and numbered 20 ¼ x 19 7/8 in Edition of 9 SOLD(from the Travel Notes portfolio) 2005 Chromogenic print on Fuji Flex paper Signed and numbered 20 ¼ x 19 7/8 in Edition of 9 SOLD(from the Travel Notes portfolio) 2005 Chromogenic print on Fuji Flex paper Signed and numbered 20 ¼ x 19 7/8 in Edition of 9 SOLD(from the Travel Notes portfolio) 2005 Chromogenic print on Fuji Flex paper Signed and numbered 20 ¼ x 19 7/8 in Edition of 9 SOLD(from the Travel Notes portfolio) 2005 Chromogenic print on Fuji Flex paper Signed and numbered 20 ¼ x 19 7/8 in Edition of 9 SOLDRobert Cottingham was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1935 and received his B.F.A. from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. Cottingham is a painter best-known for his photo-realistic depiction of signs, storefront marquees, railroad boxcars, letter forms, and recently, cameras and typewriters. He held his first solo show in New York City at O.K. Harris Gallery in 1971. He has also exhibited in many seminal group shows throughout the United States, France and Germany.
A retrospective exhibition of prints by Robert Cottingham traveled from 1986 through 1991 to thirteen national venues including the Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City, MO; the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; and the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, Connecticut. In 1993, Cottingham began his ambitious project, An American Alphabet, completing twenty-six canvases in three years, as well as a corresponding series of watercolors and drawings.
Another retrospective of Cottingham’s print media work took place in 1998 at what is now known as The Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. Robert Cottingham’s work can be found in the following public collections – the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.; the National Academy of Design, New York; the Orlando Museum of Art, Florida; the Seavest Collection of Contemporary American Realism, University of Virginia Art Museum.