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Robert Pruitt

@robertpruitt

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Artist from Houston living in Harlem

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We are excited to participate in the inaugural Art Basel Exclusive initiative. The program invites galleries to reserve select works that will remain unseen until the fair opens on June 16th. On this occasion we are presenting new work by Robert Pruitt, “Woman with a Trellis Necklace” (2026.)Visit us at Hall 2.1, Booth L4.@artbasel @robertpruitt by @robertpruitt

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Vielmetter Los Angeles is excited to participate in Art Basel Exclusive, a new initiative for Art Basel 2026. We are presenting a new work by Robert Pruitt only to be unveiled at the fair. Visit us at booth L4, Hall 2.1. Image credit: Brandon LuckainWorking in a variety of materials, Robert Pruitt centers his practice on rendering large-scale figurative portraits rooted in a fictive ethnography. His monumental portraits present intergalactic visions for a Black joyous future woven through with transcendent imagery, mythological references, and pop cultural allusions. He often utilizes religion, spirituality, signs, and symbolic objects throughout his work as a means of exploring a Black American conception of transcendence. He incorporates symbols and images from science fiction, comic book graphics, hip hop, Black political struggles, and African traditional cultures into his politically charged and spiritually grounded works.Robert Pruitt was born in Houston, Texas in 1975 and lives and works in New York. He received his BFA from Texas Southern University (2000) and an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin (2003).The artist has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions including, Corpus, Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, (CA): ...Son…Sun…Sin…Syn…Sen…Zen… Zenith, Salon 94, New York, (NY): Goodnight Prometheus, Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles (CA); To Control the Universe, Salon 94, New York (NY); Guest Minister at Oxbow, Seattle (WA) in 2020; The Banner Project: Robert Pruitt at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MA) in 2019; Devotion at the California African American Museum, Los Angeles in 2018; and Women at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (NY) in 2013, among many others. Pruitt will have a solo exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum Houston in the winter of 2026 curated by Ryan Dennis.@artbasel @robertpruitt by @robertpruitt

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This artist turns comics into monumental drawings 👆Step into the world of Bronx-based artist @robertpruitt who creates monumental figurative drawings inspired by comics, science fiction, Afrofuturism, and Black cultural history. Superheroes and comic book mythology run deep through Pruitt’s thinking, shaping how he approaches scale and gesture.Raised in Houston’s Fourth Ward and now working in New York, Pruitt uses drawing to imagine Black futures beyond stereotypes and the limits of history. He states, “Our relationship to beauty is subjective... What happens if we’re not bound by these things?”📺 Watch the full video now at the link in bio.@uniqlousa is MoMA’s proud partner of #ArtForAll by @robertpruitt

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If you’re checking out any of the NY fairs this week, you can see a couple of new works by me at @independent_hq with @vielmetter gallery. The widow Cherry dismantling the master’s house2026Charcoal, conté, pastel on a coffee wash84” x 60” by @robertpruitt

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How is history constructed?⁠⁠In the genre of portraiture, a little theatricality goes a long way. In his royal portraits from a fictional Black state⁠, see how artist Robert Pruitt (@robertpruitt) subverts art history to craft alternative modes of self-representation. ⁠⁠On view in Some American Dreams through June 14. Included with free admission (link in bio). ⁠⁠Images: Robert Pruitt, in collaboration with FWM. Untitled Photographs, 2011. Artwork and process photos, FWM Visual Archives; Visitor photo by Constance Mensh. by @robertpruitt

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“For the occasion, Williams is wearing a Swarovski crystal mesh gown inspired by Robert Pruitt’s Venus Williams, Double Portrait (2022), a portrait of her commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery.” Robert Pruitt’s work is featured in Vogue’s coverage of the Met Gala. Venus Williams emulated the artist’s portrait of her in her look for yesterday’s event. Pruitt will be included in our presentation at the Independent fair next week in NYC!Robert Pruitt“Venus Williams, Double Portrait,” 2022Conté, charcoal, pastel, and coffee72” x 48” [HxW] Photo credit: Getty Images@robertpruitt @voguemagazine by @robertpruitt

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Today I participated in the @falloffreedom May Day project. I reworked an old zine about a mothership pilot encountering state kidnappings on Earth. Sun Ra, of course, makes an appearance plus Autobot Prowl. I placed these zines all around my neighborhood, walking from my barbershop on 135th back to East Harlem. Bust stops, coffee shops, McDonald’s and various benches. Met a flautists on 7th Ave, and bought a gold chain on 3rd, all fueled on a couple of dirty Chais. Tomorrow is free comic book day so I’ll try and give out a few more. I have studio visit in the morning though so we’ll see how that goes timewise. by @robertpruitt

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Bday photo dump! Another year of staying busy staying free. Took a sewing class (shout out to @melaninarchivist ) lost my teal frames, got a new nephew, hung with a bunch of amazing people and bought a DJ mixer! by @robertpruitt

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Today: Last day of IFPDA featuring Tamarind Institute’s premiere of a new body of work by Robert Pruitt (@robertpruitt), including Woman with Figs (shown).💜 Booth A29#robertpruitt #tamarindinstitute #lithography #collectprints #ifpda by @robertpruitt

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💫 New Release by American artist Robert Pruitt (@robertpruitt) Robert Pruitt’s latest body of work at Tamarind features a large-scale portrait of a woman surrounded by cascading figs (each printed, cut and chine colléd around her body); a cityscape set in New York; an almost handheld study of a woman at home; and a celestial couple dusted in black glitter. 🔗 in bio to learn more, or email tamarind@unm.edu for details. 📆 See their debut at this year’s IFPDA Print Fair (@ifpda) at Park Avenue Armory, April 9-12#robertpruitt #tamarindinstitute #lithography #collectprints #americanartist by @robertpruitt

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Vielmetter Los Angeles is thrilled to announce the Museum of Modern Art’s acquisition of Robert Pruitt’s work Woman with Lizards (2025).Featured in his latest exhibition at the gallery, Corpus in 2025, Pruitt’s monumental drawing depicts a seated female-figure enrobed in a mesh of sumptuous green vines that conceal a collection of small green lizards. Throughout Pruitt’s work, these quasi-mystic figures percolate and speak to the artist’s interest in honing the spiritual aspects of nature in his work. Pruitt’s practice weaves together religious iconography, science fiction imagery, and African American perspectives on theism, transcendence and mythology. @robertpruitt @themuseumofmodernart by @robertpruitt

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In a new series, Robert Pruitt crowns his subjects with titans of Black liberation — Sun Ra, James Baldwin, Assata Shakur, a Black Panther Party member — worn as headdresses. Encompassing the broad spectrum of Black radical tradition, from Sun Ra's cosmic Afrofuturism and Baldwin's literary activism to Shakur's armed resistance and the Panthers' community organizing, the scaled figures function as protective crowns that bridge artistic, intellectual, and direct-action responding to Black oppression.Pictured — Robert Pruitt, drawings in charcoal and pastel on paper:"Man with Sun Ra Headdress," 2026"Woman with Assata Shakur Headdress," 2026"Woman with Black Panther Member Headdress," 2026"Woman with James Baldwin Headdress," 2026@robertpruitt#RobertPruitt #AssataShakur #JamesBaldwin #BlackPanthers #SunRa #Salon94 by @robertpruitt

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