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Robert Longo — Study of The King for Mary
Robert Longo

Study of The King for Mary

2026

This monumental black and white portrait presents a figure in dramatic performance attire, rendered with precise charcoal and ink on vellum. The subject wears an ornate white outfit adorned with decorative chains and embellishments, captured against a deep black void that emphasizes the luminosity of the garment and the contemplative downward gaze. The composition demonstrates the artist's signature hyperrealist approach to figurative drawing, employing stark tonal contrast and meticulous attention to fabric texture and material surface. Characteristic of the artist's practice, the work oscillates between photographic specificity and expressive portraiture, engaging with themes of celebrity, performance, and the construction of persona. The large scale drawing on vellum creates an ethereal quality that complicates the boundary between documentation and artistic interpretation.

Medium
Ink and charcoal on vellum
Overall

Notes

Pace Gallery solo presentation at TEFAF New York 2026, Booth 340, May 15–19, 2026, Park Avenue Armory, New York. Pace inventory ref: 98805. Image: 53.3 x 66.7 cm. Framed: 90.8 x 101 x 3.8 cm.

For Sale — $90000

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About this work

Robert Longo, Study of The King for Mary, 2026

This monumental black and white portrait presents a figure in dramatic performance attire, rendered with precise charcoal and ink on vellum. The subject wears an ornate white outfit adorned with decorative chains and embellishments, captured against a deep black void that emphasizes the luminosity of the garment and the contemplative downward gaze. The composition demonstrates the artist's signature hyperrealist approach to figurative drawing, employing stark tonal contrast and meticulous attention to fabric texture and material surface. Characteristic of the artist's practice, the work oscillates between photographic specificity and expressive portraiture, engaging with themes of celebrity, performance, and the construction of persona. The large scale drawing on vellum creates an ethereal quality that complicates the boundary between documentation and artistic interpretation.

Medium
Ink and charcoal on vellum
Dimensions
overall: 53.3 x 66.7 cm
Year
2026
Seen at
Pace Gallery, New York, USA

Related themes

Persona, Figure Study, Charcoal Drawing, Portraiture, Large Scale Drawing, Dramatic Lighting, Black And White, Performance, Ink And Charcoal, Photographic Realism, Tonal Contrast, Contemporary Art, Monochromatic, Fashion, Vellum Paper, Hyperrealism, Contemporary Realism, Decorative Elements, Celebrity, Expressive Portrait

More works by Robert Longo

Collected by

Alex Capecelatro, Hamilton Selway Gallery