Untitled (Ascending Flag) by Robert Longo

Robert Longo

The Weight of Hope

On View
Sep 11 – Oct 25, 2025
New York
 
 
Pace is pleased to present The Weight of Hope, a monumental exhibition by Robert Longo, in New York from September 11 to October 25. As a sequel to the Milwaukee Art Museum’s recent presentation of Robert Longo: The Acceleration of History—curated by Margaret Andera, the institution’s Senior Curator of Contemporary Art—Longo will take over Pace’s entire 540 West 25th Street gallery, exhibiting 26 drawings, three films, three sculptures, and 33 studies across the flagship’s first, second, third, and seventh floors as well as its exterior.

The Milwaukee Art Museum’s new catalogue for The Acceleration of History, featuring contributions from Andera, artist Rashid Johnson, and journalist Tom Teicholz, will be released during the run of Pace’s show and available to purchase on-site at the gallery. A Pace Live performance featuring musician Rhys Chatham, along with an opening reception for the exhibition, will take place on the evening of Wednesday, September 10, and the show will also be open to visitors from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 11.

The Weight of Hope will highlight Longo’s enduring engagement with social and political happenings in his work across mediums, bringing together large-scale charcoal drawings, films, sculptures, and studies—including private and institutional loans—created between 2014 and 2025. This landmark show at Pace will open on the heels of the artist’s first full-scale Scandinavian survey, on view at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark through August 31, and his presentation of a new multimedia work at Art Basel Unlimited in June.

Over the past decade, the artist has increasingly turned his focus to images from the media, including coverage of the January 6 United States Capitol attack and the Black Lives Matter movement. Building up his hyper realistic, black-and- white charcoal drawings in layers with painstaking attention to light and shadow, he creates highly detailed works based on news photography as well as images of protests, civil unrest, and war on the Internet. Transforming his source images into epically scaled, emotionally resonant compositions, he reflects on power, violence, and national mythmaking. His works slow down the “image storm” and “culture of impatience” in which we live through the historic and venerable medium of charcoal, encouraging viewers to take time to absorb and process the turbulence of the current moment—both in the US and around the globe—while also proposing hope for the future.

“As artists, we’re reporters,” Longo said in a recent interview for his Louisiana Museum of Modern Art exhibition. “Our job is to report what it’s like to be alive now. We’re one of the few professions left in the world that has the opportunity to try to tell the truth. I feel a moral imperative to preserve the images of our shared dystopic present with the hope that something will one day change.”

Born in 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, Longo was deeply influenced by social and political issues from an early age. He graduated high school in 1970, weeks after the Ohio National Guard massacred several students at Kent State University who were protesting the US invasion of Cambodia—including one of Longo’s former classmates, whose body was shown in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph that shocked the world. In 1973, Longo enrolled at Buffalo State College, where he trained as a sculptor and began his decades-long friendship with fellow artist Cindy Sherman. The two moved to New York together in 1977, and, throughout the 1980s, Longo frequently performed in New York rock clubs in Menthol Wars, his band with Richard Prince. During this period, he also designed album covers for numerous bands and directed music videos for New Order and R.E.M.

In his first solo exhibition at Metro Pictures in New York in 1981, Longo showed his charcoal and graphite Men in the Cities drawings, works that became icons of the “Pictures Generation.” This group, which includes Longo, Sherman, Prince, Louise Lawler, and David Salle, is known for critiquing the anaesthetizing power of consumer capitalism and the indoctrinating effects of mass media through their art. Working with diverse materials at increasingly ambitious scales over the course of his career, Longo cemented himself as a preeminent artist of his generation. Today, his work can be found in the collections of major museums around the world, including The Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Brooklyn Museum in New York; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; the Milwaukee Art Museum; the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; Tate in London; the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam; and many other international institutions.

Longo, who has said he’s interested in the ‘consequences of images on the psyche,’ wants us to react to something, to not be numb, to find some kind of meaning in the feedback.

 

Featured Works

Robert Longo,
Medusa (Banyan Tree, Homage to J. Mitchell and J. Pollock)
2014, charcoal on mounted paper, 90" × 123-3/4" (228.6 cm × 314.3 cm), image 98" × 131-3/4" × 4" (248.9 cm × 334.6 cm × 10.2 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
The Weight of Hope (War, Religion, Nature)
2025, charcoal on mounted paper, 93-1/4" × 140" (236.9 cm × 355.6 cm), each image 100-1/2" × 147-1/4" × 4-9/16" (255.3 cm × 374 cm × 11.6 cm), each frame
Robert Longo,
Untitled (Bag of Recyclables),
2025
2025, charcoal on mounted paper, 120" × 70" (304.8 cm × 177.8 cm), image 125" × 75" × 3-9/16" (317.5 cm × 190.5 cm × 9 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Untitled (Iceberg for Greta Thunberg),
2020
2020, charcoal on mounted paper, 127" × 190" (322.6 cm × 482.6 cm), overall image 132-3/4" × 65-3/4" × 4-9/16" (337.2 cm × 167 cm × 11.6 cm), left and right frame, each 132-3/4" × 75-3/4" × 4-9/16" (337.2 cm × 192.4 cm × 11.6 cm), center frame
Robert Longo,
Untitled (Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi; Istanbul, Turkey; October 2, 2018),
2019
2019, charcoal on mounted paper, 87-1/2" × 120" (222.3 cm × 304.8 cm), image 93-3/8" × 125-7/8" × 4-3/8" (237.2 cm × 319.7 cm × 11.1 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Untitled (Destroyed Head of Lamassu, Nineveh),
2017
2017, charcoal on mounted paper, 88-1/2" × 140" (224.8 cm × 355.6 cm), image 93-3/4" × 145-1/4" × 5-1/8" (238.1 cm × 368.9 cm × 13 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Untitled (Daytona Crash),
2025
2025, charcoal on mounted paper, 70" × 120" (177.8 cm × 304.8 cm), image 75" × 125" × 3-9/16" (190.5 cm × 317.5 cm × 9 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Untitled (Refugees At Mediterranean Sea, Sub-Saharan Migrants, July 25, 2017),
2018
2018, charcoal on mounted paper, 97" × 120" (246.4 cm × 304.8 cm), image 102-1/4" × 125-1/4" × 5-1/8" (259.7 cm × 318.1 cm × 13 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Untitled (Snake Pit),
2025
2025, charcoal on mounted paper, 65" × 120" (165.1 cm × 304.8 cm), image 70" × 125" × 3-9/16" (177.8 cm × 317.5 cm × 9 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Untitled (Burning Down the House: Homage to Franz Kline),
2025
2025, charcoal on mounted paper, 95" × 126-1/2" (241.3 cm × 321.3 cm), image 102-1/2" × 133-3/4" × 4-9/16" (260.4 cm × 339.7 cm × 11.6 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Untitled (A Column of Time: One Year of The New York Times, March 2020–March 2021),
2021
2021, cast bronze, steel plate, 118" × 13-1/2" × 13-1/2" (299.7 cm × 34.3 cm × 34.3 cm), column 40" × 40" × 3/8" (101.6 cm × 101.6 cm × 1 cm), steel plate
Robert Longo,
Untitled (Dürer's Solid in Black),
2025
2025, auto lacquer on stainless steel, 48" × 48" × 48" (121.9 cm × 121.9 cm × 121.9 cm)
Robert Longo,
Study of Roaring Tiger,
2025
2025, ink and charcoal on vellum, 26-1/2" × 21" (67.3 cm × 53.3 cm), image 41-1/8" × 34-7/8" × 1-1/2" (104.5 cm × 88.6 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of God Jellyfish,
2025
2025, ink and charcoal on vellum, 30-7/8" × 21" (78.4 cm × 53.3 cm), image 45-1/2" × 34-3/8" × 1-1/2" (115.6 cm × 87.3 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Robert E. Lee Statue/BLM/Richmond, VA,
2025
2025, ink and charcoal on vellum, 21" × 32" (53.3 cm × 81.3 cm) 35-5/8" × 45-3/8" × 1-1/2" (90.5 cm × 115.3 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Raft at Sea,
2025
2025, ink and charcoal on vellum, 16-1/2" × 33-1/16" (41.9 cm × 84 cm), image 31-1/8" × 46-1/2" × 1-1/2" (79.1 cm × 118.1 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Protest, No,
2022
2022, ink and charcoal on vellum, 21" × 31-1/2" (53.3 cm × 80 cm), image 35-5/8" × 44-7/8" × 1-1/2" (90.5 cm × 114 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Dark Tree,
2023
2023, ink and charcoal on vellum, 21" × 31-7/16" (53.3 cm × 79.9 cm), image 35-5/8" × 44-3/4" × 1-1/2" (90.5 cm × 113.7 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Air Strike B
2019, ink and charcoal on vellum, 21-1/16" × 30-3/8" (53.5 cm × 77.2 cm), image 35-3/4" × 43-3/4" × 1-1/2" (90.8 cm × 111.1 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Brooklyn Forest,
2025
2025, ink and charcoal on vellum, 16-1/2" × 33" (41.9 cm × 83.8 cm), image 31-1/8" × 46-3/8" × 1-1/2" (79.1 cm × 117.8 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Riot Cops w/ Tear Gas Guns + Shields,
2018
2018, ink and charcoal on vellum, 15-7/8" × 33" (40.3 cm × 83.8 cm), image 30-1/4" × 46-1/8" × 1-1/2" (76.8 cm × 117.2 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of ICU, 2020,
2021
2021, ink and charcoal on vellum, 21-5/16" × 31-3/8" (54.1 cm × 79.7 cm), image 37-7/8" × 44-3/4" × 1-1/2" (96.2 cm × 113.7 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Close Up of Bullethole, Charlie Hebdo, Paris 2015,
2023
2023, ink and charcoal on vellum, 20-5/16" × 33-1/16" (51.6 cm × 84 cm), image 35" × 46-1/2" × 1-1/2" (88.9 cm × 118.1 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of White Glove for Leon
2018, ink and charcoal on vellum, 26-1/2" × 21" (67.3 cm × 53.3 cm), image 40-7/8" × 34-1/8" × 1-1/2" (103.8 cm × 86.7 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Student Protest, May 29, 2024,
2024
2024, ink and charcoal on vellum, 19-1/16" × 33" (48.4 cm × 83.8 cm), image 33-5/8" × 46-3/8" × 1-1/2" (85.4 cm × 117.8 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study BLM / Police,
2024
2024, ink and charcoal on vellum, 22-13/16" × 21-1/16" (57.9 cm × 53.5 cm), image 37-1/2" × 34-1/2" × 1-1/2" (95.3 cm × 87.6 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of House on Fire,
2025
2025, ink and charcoal on vellum, 21" × 28-1/16" (53.3 cm × 71.3 cm), image 35-5/8" × 45-1/2" × 1-1/2" (90.5 cm × 115.6 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Iceberg Crown
2025, ink and charcoal on vellum, 20-15/16" × 32-5/16" (53.2 cm × 82.1 cm), image 35-5/8" × 45-3/4" × 1-1/2" (90.5 cm × 116.2 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Dallas Bullet Holes
2017, ink and charcoal on vellum, 22-1/8" × 22-1/4" (56.2 cm × 56.5 cm), image 36-1/2" × 35-3/8" × 1-1/2" (92.7 cm × 89.9 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Sunset at Mecca,
2025
2025, ink and charcoal on vellum, 20" × 33-1/2" (50.8 cm × 85.1 cm), image 34-5/8" × 46-7/8" × 1-1/2" (87.9 cm × 119.1 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of Riot Cops, Charlotte, NC,
2017
2017, ink and charcoal on vellum, 15-3/4" × 32-15/16" (40 cm × 83.7 cm), image 29-1/4" × 45-1/4" × 1-1/2" (74.3 cm × 114.9 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Study of College Shooter, June 7, 2013 - Santa Monica/Surveillance Video
2017, ink and charcoal on vellum, 17-1/2" × 34" (44.5 cm × 86.4 cm), image 31-7/8" × 47-3/8" × 1-1/2" (81 cm × 120.3 cm × 3.8 cm), frame
Robert Longo,
Icarus Rising
2019, black and white film with sound, 0:9:44 (9min, 44sec) 5933 ×  2160 pixels
 
 
EXHIBITION DETAILS

Robert Longo
The Weight of Hope
Sep 11 – October 25, 2025

Above: Robert Longo, Untitled (Ascending Flag), 2023 © Robert Longo / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

GALLERY

540 West 25th Street
New York