Robert Longo: The Acceleration of History

A key figure in the Pictures Generation of the 1970s and 1980s, Robert Longo is widely known for his ambitiously scaled, highly detailed, hyperrealistic charcoal drawings that reflect on the construction of symbols of power and authority. Longo explores the effects of living in an image-saturated culture—how we filter, retain, and process the images that bombard us daily. The Acceleration of History focuses on Longo’s work from the last ten years, including images of war, protest movements, immigration, and climate change created in direct response to contemporary global events and drawn from images widely circulated through various media sources. The exhibition considers this period of work within the broader scope of Longo’s career and draws comparisons to other art historical genres such as history painting.