Robert Graham - prints and biography

Biography

Robert Graham (1938–2008) was a Mexican-born American sculptor and printmaker celebrated for his dedication to the human figure. Born in Mexico City on August 19, 1938, he moved to California at age eleven following his father’s death. Graham studied art at San Jose State College and later at the San Francisco Art Institute, graduating in 1964.

While best known for his monumental bronze sculptures, Graham also created a distinguished body of prints. His lithographs and etchings reveal an intimate exploration of the human body, particularly the female form. These works are marked by clarity of line, subtle tonal variation, and a sculptural quality that translates his mastery of anatomy and proportion into two-dimensional form. His prints offer a distilled vision of his sculptural practice, emphasizing gesture, volume, and sensuality in ways both classical and contemporary.

In the late 1960s, Graham first gained attention with small wax dioramas depicting candid, often erotic scenes of human interaction. These works led to solo exhibitions across the United States and Europe. His rise to national prominence came in 1984 with the commission of the Olympic Gateway at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Featuring two monumental nude bronze torsos modeled on athletes, the work sparked debate yet secured his position as one of the most significant public sculptors of his generation.

Throughout his career, Graham’s monumental commissions became defining features of urban spaces across the United States. Yet his prints reveal another side of his artistic vision—private, precise, and contemplative. Both bodies of work share his lifelong fascination with the body as a vessel of beauty, strength, and identity.

In his personal life, Graham married actress Anjelica Huston in 1992. They lived in Venice, California, in a striking home designed by Graham himself. His legacy endures through his public monuments, prints, and the sculptural grace that continues to inspire.

Exhibitions

• Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City (1997)

• San Jose Museum of Art (1994)

• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1981, 1988)

• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1982)

• Whitechapel Gallery, London (1970)

• Kunstverein, Hamburg (1971)