Robbie Conal
Encyclopedia
Robbie Conal is an American
guerilla poster
artist
noted for his gnarled, grotesque depictions of U.S. political figures of note. A former hippie
, he is noted for distributing his poster art throughout a city overnight using his "volunteer guerrilla postering army".
Conal's parents were both union organizers, and he grew up in Manhattan
. He "graduated" in arts from San Francisco State University
in 1969, although he was two credits short of a degree. After living briefly in Canada
he obtained a MFA
from Stanford University
in 1978, and moved to the Los Angeles
area in 1984, where he currently resides. Conal is an adjunct professor of painting and drawing at the University of Southern California
's Roski School of Fine Arts.
Conal's work has been featured in numerous publications, including Time
, Newsweek
, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times
, as well as CBS
's This Morning and Charlie Rose
. He was the subject of the 1992 documentary Post No Bills
directed by filmmaker Clay Walker
. He has also written two books, Art Attack: The Midnight Politics Of A Guerrilla Artist and Artburn, a collection of his work published in the alternative newspaper L.A. Weekly. He has been awarded grants by the National Endowment for the Arts
and the Getty Trust.
In 2004, Conal joined artists Shepard Fairey
and Mear One
to create a series of "anti-war, anti-Bush" posters for a street art campaign called "Be the Revolution" for the art collective Post Gen.
Conal was also one of the 112 members at the "Table of Free Voices" event in Berlin.
One of Conal's posters is prominently displayed in a scene in the 1999 film The Insider
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guerilla poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
noted for his gnarled, grotesque depictions of U.S. political figures of note. A former hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
, he is noted for distributing his poster art throughout a city overnight using his "volunteer guerrilla postering army".
Conal's parents were both union organizers, and he grew up in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. He "graduated" in arts from San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
in 1969, although he was two credits short of a degree. After living briefly in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
he obtained a MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1978, and moved to the Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area in 1984, where he currently resides. Conal is an adjunct professor of painting and drawing at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
's Roski School of Fine Arts.
Conal's work has been featured in numerous publications, including Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, as well as CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's This Morning and Charlie Rose
Charlie Rose
Charles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993...
. He was the subject of the 1992 documentary Post No Bills
Post No Bills
Post No Bills is a documentary film on satirical political poster artist Robbie Conal directed by Clay Walker.This documentary was filmed in Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco from 1990 to 1992...
directed by filmmaker Clay Walker
Clay Walker (filmmaker)
Clay Walker is an American filmmaker.In 1992, Walker produced, directed, photographed and edited the PBS documentary Post No Bills on Los Angeles "guerilla" satirical political poster artist Robbie Conal. Post No Bills received a at the 1992 Chicago International Film Festival...
. He has also written two books, Art Attack: The Midnight Politics Of A Guerrilla Artist and Artburn, a collection of his work published in the alternative newspaper L.A. Weekly. He has been awarded grants by the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
and the Getty Trust.
In 2004, Conal joined artists Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey
Frank Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary graphic designer, and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign, in which he appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. His...
and Mear One
Mear One
Mear One, born 1971 as Kalen Ockerman in Santa Cruz, California, is a Los Angeles-based artist, famously known for his often-political street graffiti art. Commonly referred to as the 'Michelangelo' of graffiti, Mear One is commonly associated with CBS and WCA crews...
to create a series of "anti-war, anti-Bush" posters for a street art campaign called "Be the Revolution" for the art collective Post Gen.
Conal was also one of the 112 members at the "Table of Free Voices" event in Berlin.
One of Conal's posters is prominently displayed in a scene in the 1999 film The Insider
The Insider (film)
The Insider is a 1999 film based on the true story of a 60 Minutes television series segment, as seen through the eyes of a real tobacco executive, Jeffrey Wigand. The 60 Minutes story originally aired in November 1995 in an altered form because of objections by CBS’ then-owner, Laurence Tisch, who...
.
External links
- Robbie Conal's Art Attack!
- Dropping Knowledge
- Robbie Conal- Artist KCET Departures Venice Interviews of the artist
See also
- Guerilla art