Emil Robinson
Growth#81
Egon Investment Scores
Liquidity
2/10
How easily works can be bought and sold at auction
Institutional
6/10
Museum collections, biennials, and institutional recognition
Momentum
7/10
Recent price trends, gallery moves, and market buzz
Discovery
3/10
Undervaluation opportunity relative to peer artists
Risk
5/10
Investment risk factors — higher means more volatile
Market Position
- Pricing
- Liquidity
- Very low - primary market only, no established secondary market Low - fewer than 10 auction lots annually (effectively zero in recent years)
- Comparables
- Comparable to other mid-career American realist painters working with interiors and light - similar trajectory to artists represented by mid-tier contemporary galleries before broader market recognition
- Collector Base
- Private collectors, regional institutions, and collectors interested in contemporary realism and Midwest painters
- Primary Market
- Primary Market Structure
- Gallery-controlled market with works primarily available through gallery representation
- Auction History
- Very limited secondary market - no auction results found in major databases (Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips)
- Market Position
- Market Positioning
- Positioned as serious contemporary realist painter with strong institutional credentials (Smithsonian, Taft Museum) and emerging international gallery representation
Institutional Presence
Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C.
Columbus Museum of Art
- Exhibitions
- Museum Exhibitions
Year Dates Venue Exhibition 2023 January 20 - March 5, 2023 Weston Art Gallery, Cincinnati Emil Robinson: Evidence (Solo) 2024 April 19 - June 1, 2024 Abattoir Gallery, Cleveland Interiors (Solo) 2022 August 29 - September 23, 2022 Fawick Gallery, Baldwin Wallace University Works by Emil Robinson (Solo) 2019 — St Francis University, Fort Wayne, Indiana Polyphony, Survey of Paintings (Solo) - Exhibition History Summary
- Extensive exhibition history spanning 20+ years (2005-2025) with solo and group exhibitions across US and internationally (London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen). Key venues include Taft Museum of Art, Saatchi Gallery London, numerous university galleries, and commercial galleries in NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, and internationally.
- Museum Collections
- Curatorial Interest
- Strong regional curatorial support, featured in curated exhibitions by notable curators including Michelle Grabner ('Moreover: 50 Paintings,' 2024)
- Institutional Validation Level
- Moderate - Regional institutional support (Taft Museum, Weston Gallery) plus significant national recognition (Smithsonian). Growing international presence through London galleries.
- Awards and Recognition
Year Award 2024 Manifest Prize Winner (15th Annual) - International competition 2009 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition Prize, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery 2008 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant Multiple Ohio Arts Council Grant recipient Ongoing University of Cincinnati teaching awards - Dolly Cohen Award nomination, Turner Scholars program medals
Career & Biography
- Career
- Career Summary
- Contemporary American painter working in representational painting with focus on interior spaces, light, and the psychological dimensions of everyday environments. Associate Professor at University of Cincinnati's DAAP (College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning), teaching in both School of Art and School of Design for nearly 20 years.
- Career Milestones
Year Event 2007 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant - spent 6 months painting in London 2009 Prize Winner, Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C. 2009 Solo Exhibition 'Axis Mundi' at Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati 2024 Winner, 15th Annual Manifest Prize (significant international competition) - first Cincinnatian to receive this award 2025 Solo Exhibition 'Interiors' at Daniel Katz Gallery, London (September 12-26)
- Identity
- Current Location
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Family Background
- Comes from multi-generational artistic family - both parents are artists, sister is a set designer, grandfather was an architect, great-grandfather was a distinguished New York architect, and another great-grandfather was a stained-glass artist.
- Artistic Context
- Robinson focuses on the transformative power of painting to reveal the mysterious and unnameable within representational imagery. His work emphasizes light, color, and the psychological complexity of mundane spaces. He describes his approach as 'relying on a hunch' and seeks to capture the spiritual intensity of everyday environments.
Artistic Profile
- Evolution
- Evolution of Practice
- Clear progression from photograph-based trompe l'oeil work toward direct observation and life painting. Increasing confidence in formal abstraction and speed of execution while maintaining technical rigor. Growing emphasis on spiritual and psychological dimensions over pure illusionism.
- Influences
- Stylistic Influences
- Vilhelm Hammershoi (Danish painter of interiors)Johannes Vermeer (light and domestic space)Early Italian painting (pre-Renaissance spatial relationships)Tantric Hindu artists (focused abstraction)Modernist and Minimalist art (spiritual qualities)John Peto (trompe l'oeil tradition, transformative vision)Edward Hopper (American interior scenes)
- Visual Language
- Scale and Format
- Range from small intimate panels (16x12 inches) to larger works (40x30, 48x36 inches), oval formats occasionally, emphasis on modest scale appropriate to intimate subject matter
- Themes and Subjects
- Interior spaces and domestic architectureLight as transformative force and subjectPsychological complexity of everyday environmentsLiminal spaces (thresholds, hallways, transitional areas)Spirituality and meditation through paintingThe unnameable within the representationalMemory and timeSolitude and contemplationWorking-class perspectives (janitor's view)
- Movements and Periods
- Techniques and Mediums
- Oil on panel (primarily birch plywood with custom supports), also works on di-bond Meticulous observation combined with formal abstraction, sensitive color relationships, emphasis on material reality of light, combination of quick alla prima studies (3-6 hours) and extended paintings (months to years), working from life in situ
Critical Reception
- Critical Reception
- Discourse Themes
- Contemporary realism, light and atmosphere, psychological interiority, liminal spaces, spirituality in painting, Midwest regional identity, relationship to art history
- Peer Recognition
- Strong peer network in Cincinnati painting community, including Dan O'Connor, Rob Anderson, Tim Parsley, Aidan Schapera. Active as teacher, workshop leader, and critic.
- Critical Reception Summary
- Consistently positive critical reception focusing on Robinson's technical mastery, sensitive handling of light, and ability to transform mundane spaces into psychologically complex and spiritually charged experiences. Critics note his connection to historical precedents (Vermeer, Hammershoi, early Italian painting) while maintaining contemporary relevance.
- Publications and Media
- Major Publications
Year Publication Type 2009 The Washington Post — 2011 Painting Perceptions Interview 2011 Huffington Post — 2023 Ruckus Journal — 2018 ArtMaze Magazine Artist Spotlight and Interview 2018 ArtVerge Interview and Feature: Ecstatic Spaces and Abstract Landscapes 2013 Fine Art Connoisseur — 2007 The Artist's Magazine — — Cincinnati Enquirer Multiple reviews and features — Cincinnati CityBeat Multiple reviews including 'Best of Cincinnati 2011' 2024 Cleveland.com —
Gallery & Representation
- Fair Presence
- Art Fair Participation
Year Fair Gallery 2018 Art The Hague Kers Gallery 2018 Art On Paper Amsterdam Kers Gallery 2018 Saatchi Gallery London —
- Representation
- Gallery Trajectory
- Progression from regional galleries (Cincinnati, Kentucky) to national (NYC, Chicago, LA) to international (London). Daniel Katz Gallery representation (2025) represents significant elevation in gallery tier.
- Representation Status
- Active gallery representation with emerging international profile
- Current Primary Galleries
Location Gallery Relationship Tier London/Online Taymour Grahne Projects Represented - Solo exhibitions 'Familiars' (2022), 'Interior Worlds' group show (2024) Emerging international contemporary gallery London, 6 Hill Street, Mayfair Daniel Katz Gallery Recent solo exhibition 'Interiors' (September 2025) Established Old Master and contemporary gallery - significant for contemporary artist Cleveland, Ohio Abattoir Gallery Solo exhibition 'Interiors' (2024), 'Headspace' (2023) Regional contemporary gallery - Past Gallery Relationships
Location Gallery Relationship Tier Chicago Andrew Rafacz Gallery Group exhibition 'Nocturne' (2023) — NYC Essex Flowers Solo exhibition 'Flex Warrior' (2021, with Kristen Jensen) NYC contemporary gallery London Waterhouse and Dodd Solo exhibitions (2011, 2012) International contemporary gallery Los Angeles Maxwell Alexander Gallery Multiple group exhibitions (2013) West Coast contemporary New York Gallery Henoch Exhibition participation NYC contemporary realism gallery Lexington, Kentucky Heike Pickett Gallery Multiple exhibitions (2005-2015) Regional gallery
- Geographic Reach
- Strong Midwest/Cincinnati base with expanding international presence (London), plus NYC and Chicago connections
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