Robert Deyber
Encyclopedia
Robert Deyber is an American artist most known for visual interpretations of cliches, euphemisms and idioms from the English and other languages. The San Francisco Examiner in 2009 described him as a "pop surrealist" whose style "has appeal for new as well as experienced collectors."
His work relates to that of Thomas Cole
and Frederic Church of the Hudson River School
, surrealists like Salvador Dali
and René Magritte
, naive painter Henri Rousseau
, the colorists Henri Matisse
and Marc Chagall
, and Andy Warhol
.
Deyber paints his own scenes from the prose that peppers the English lexicon. His works range from literal translations of fanciful sayings to kitschy depictions of everyday terminology.
, survivor of the Bataan Death March
.
He began painting and drawing in his teens, and continued to develop a style that was original and surreal, drawing inspiration from the cultures that surrounded him as he lived in various parts of the country from New York City to San Francisco. Deyber eventually wound up in Perugia
and Milan
, Italy where he studied and observed the works of Giotto di Bondone
and other Italian painters.
His early work from the 1980s and 1990s involves work that he self-describes as neo-surrealism or surreal American mythology. While he continued to develop and show his work, he was an executive in the airline industry which allowed him to travel all over the world exposing himself to art in many museums. He continued for twenty years to exhibit his work in the Boston area.
to be closer to his siblings. It was at that time that he began to focus all this time on his artistic career and began exhibiting his work in the surrounding areas. With much success his work began to grow in popularity and he soon was represented in many surrounding and distant states.
By 2004, Deyber had been selling works around the globe and had collectors in 27 countries. At the time he was self published and selling original paintings and prints through many galleries across the country and was routinely featured in the Guild Artful Home catalog. He opened a contemporary fine art gallery in Roswell, Georgia
- "Iridium Gallery", which featured his own works and those of about a dozen other artists. He later sold the gallery to a new owner and began selling works directly from his studio and website and other larger galleries in the Atlanta area.
After singer songwriter Tom Petty
and his wife Dana began collecting his work, Petty commissioned Deyber for the artwork of his new album, "Highway Companion", he was going to be releasing in 2006.
In 2006, Deyber exhibited his work at the New York International Art Expo in March of that year, gaining significant attention for his work and gathering dozens of galleries to represent his work. After meeting the owner of Chalk & Vermilion at the Expo, Robert has been exclusively represented by the firm and its network of galleries across the country, Martin Lawrence Galleries
.
In 2008, Deyber moved back to Connecticut.
Deyber's preferred medium of artistic expression is painting, however he has worked on three dimensional sculpture pieces and has many sketches and plans for installation work.
Deyber's work has a strong following in the entertainment and music industry.
His work relates to that of Thomas Cole
Thomas Cole
Thomas Cole was an English-born American artist. He is regarded as the founder of the Hudson River School, an American art movement that flourished in the mid-19th century...
and Frederic Church of the Hudson River School
Hudson River school
The Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism...
, surrealists like Salvador Dali
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
and René Magritte
René Magritte
René François Ghislain Magritte[p] was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images...
, naive painter Henri Rousseau
Henri Rousseau
Henri Julien Félix Rousseau was a French Post-Impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier , a humorous description of his occupation as a toll collector...
, the colorists Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
and Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
, and Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
.
Deyber paints his own scenes from the prose that peppers the English lexicon. His works range from literal translations of fanciful sayings to kitschy depictions of everyday terminology.
Early life
Robert grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut - his mother a talented portrait artist and fashion model who died when Deyber was sixteen, his father Robert Deyber Sr. a real estate broker and POWPrisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, survivor of the Bataan Death March
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese Army, of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners.The march was characterized by...
.
He began painting and drawing in his teens, and continued to develop a style that was original and surreal, drawing inspiration from the cultures that surrounded him as he lived in various parts of the country from New York City to San Francisco. Deyber eventually wound up in Perugia
Perugia
Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
and Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy where he studied and observed the works of Giotto di Bondone
Giotto di Bondone
Giotto di Bondone , better known simply as Giotto, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence in the late Middle Ages...
and other Italian painters.
His early work from the 1980s and 1990s involves work that he self-describes as neo-surrealism or surreal American mythology. While he continued to develop and show his work, he was an executive in the airline industry which allowed him to travel all over the world exposing himself to art in many museums. He continued for twenty years to exhibit his work in the Boston area.
Current activities
After leaving the airline industry in 2001, Deyber moved to Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
to be closer to his siblings. It was at that time that he began to focus all this time on his artistic career and began exhibiting his work in the surrounding areas. With much success his work began to grow in popularity and he soon was represented in many surrounding and distant states.
By 2004, Deyber had been selling works around the globe and had collectors in 27 countries. At the time he was self published and selling original paintings and prints through many galleries across the country and was routinely featured in the Guild Artful Home catalog. He opened a contemporary fine art gallery in Roswell, Georgia
Roswell, Georgia
Roswell is a city located in northern Fulton County; it is a suburb of northern Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The 2010 Census population was 88,346. It is the eighth largest city in Georgia...
- "Iridium Gallery", which featured his own works and those of about a dozen other artists. He later sold the gallery to a new owner and began selling works directly from his studio and website and other larger galleries in the Atlanta area.
After singer songwriter Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
and his wife Dana began collecting his work, Petty commissioned Deyber for the artwork of his new album, "Highway Companion", he was going to be releasing in 2006.
In 2006, Deyber exhibited his work at the New York International Art Expo in March of that year, gaining significant attention for his work and gathering dozens of galleries to represent his work. After meeting the owner of Chalk & Vermilion at the Expo, Robert has been exclusively represented by the firm and its network of galleries across the country, Martin Lawrence Galleries
Martin Lawrence Galleries
Martin Lawrence Galleries was founded in 1975 and operates 12 fine art galleries in the United States specializing in original paintings, sculpture and limited edition graphics.Martin Lawrence has an substantial collection of artwork, all of...
.
In 2008, Deyber moved back to Connecticut.
Deyber's preferred medium of artistic expression is painting, however he has worked on three dimensional sculpture pieces and has many sketches and plans for installation work.
Deyber's work has a strong following in the entertainment and music industry.
Primary sources
- Deyber, Robert. "A Language All His Own". Jenkintown Press, 2008.