Robert Mars was born in 1969 and is a graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York. At a young age, between 7 and 8 years old, he was drawn to muscle cars, custom vans, superheroes, and other icons that were relevant as a child. This idea of icons has been an obsession within his life and has continued into his adult life and throughout his artistic career, but the imagery has been refined over time. With the use of graphic compositions, glossy textures, and rich colors Mars provided the ultimate medium in which to explore his fascination stemming from the Golden Age of American popular culture and the icons of the 1950’s and 60’s. Drawing inspiration from the near-mythical fame that surrounded celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, Elvis Presley, and many others, before the instant and all-encompassing presence of the internet, Mars’ daring approach creates paintings with a nostalgic yet innovative vintage feel.

Employing concepts rooted in abstract expressionism, Mars has expanded on his body of work in the last years to abstract compositions, finding a balance between chaos and control by precisely cutting the painted vintage newspaper into predetermined patterns with multicolored paint layers of loose and dynamic brushstrokes in order to bridge to the events of the past and anchoring each of his artwork in a particular time of history. Robert Mars taps into the feelings that emanate from his paintings which vacillate between memory and desire. The taste of nostalgia pulls the viewers towards the iconic stars and the consumerist historical subject material of Mars’ works. Mars’ sources are the very core of these dreams. Photographs of stars like Bruce Springsteen, logos of products like Coca-Cola and TIFFANY & CO., and vintage ephemera are layered beautifully with news stories of seminal events; from the death of JFK to the 1969 moonwalk. By capturing these moments in history, his paintings serve as vehicles for bringing the American brand to the world.

Based on traditional quilt patterns from American history, the mix of handcraft, and the meditation of time contained in that often overlooked folk art, these tessellations also echo the backgrounds utilized in his representational body of work. By creating a dialogue between the layers of color, and the events glimpsed through the paint; he sets the palette for the final composition. Choosing to sometimes highlight and sometimes obliterate this record of events acts as a rebellion to provide structure and order. As Mars rebuilds the composition to keep the structure, composition, and color that he has in mind, he walks through a process of discovery, having a final sense of resolution as the result of reconstructing these compositions.

And although his main focus has been American cultural icons for the past two decades, his vision has shifted to become a more global approach. He started to incorporate International brands, iconic figures, and products, becoming absorbed into American culture and he was able to add these subjects therefore broadening his body of work. Introducing new icons into his body of work for his current showcase, Mars yet again bridges the past and present in perspective by depicting larger-than-life personalities like Lady Gaga and Daniel Craig’s James Bond. With many solo exhibitions in the United States and abroad under his belt, his pieces are part of important Corporate and Private Collections like Coca-Cola, ESPN, Nike, Absolut Vodka, Oceania Cruise Lines, Microsoft, Adidas, Neiman Marcus, Philip Morris, and Bank of America among others, and also his works are have been found in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California, Yellowstone Art Museum, Evansville Museum of Art in Indiana, Coral Springs Museum Of Art, Taubman Museum, International Museum of Collage, Minart Museum Guadalajara Mexico, and the New Bedford Art Museum in Massachusetts.