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Born in 1952 in Chicago, IL, U.S.A.


- 2006, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

- 1976, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI



"I have been working with figurative motion using gestural calligraphic marks for over 30 years. Gesture and body language is crucial to my working process. Being a deaf artist who also hears with electronic devices situates me in a unique world/experience. As I grow older, I spend more time redefining my relationship to the world I'm living in. My deafness has left me highly conscious of body language and the implications of gesture. My drawings were originally obtained from life observations, but since 2000, the figures have emerged from memory or emotional import. The figures exist as pedestrians, dancers, sports figures and/or lovers. A leading female figure is generally composed with collage while the male figure is usually a secondary image, interweaving with the other, or dancing/moving in counterpoint.

Important meaning can be found within the interrelationships of calligraphic gesture in figurative space. Although marks often appear random and scribbled, they attempt to follow the lines of movement between a figure and the surrounding environment. Over the last several years I have used collage under the painting, and experimented with exposing the collage within the figurative marks. This is my allusion to the visual culture I am surrounded with. I like to think of visual culture as catalogue of place and culture. "

Robert Wright, January, 2007

  • Solo Exhibitions
  • 2006: Shot Gallery, Columbus, OH, "New Works"

  • 2005:
  • Turkaly Gallery, Cleveland, OH, "Looking Back"

  • Textillery Gallery, Bloomington, IN, "New Works"

  • 2004: Studio B Gallery, Columbus, OH, "Powerplay"

  • 2000:
  • Ohio State University - Marion Art Gallery, Marion, OH

  • Ohio Decorative Arts Center, Lancaster, OH

  • Garret Gallery, Lancaster, OH

  • Delaware Arts Council, Deleware, OH

  • Lanning Gallery, Columbus, OH

  • 1999:
  • Hoyt Institute of American Art, New Castle, PA

  • Art & Clay Gallery, Lancaster, OH

  • Mt. Vernon Nazarene College Art Gallery, Mt. Vernon, OH

  • 1998: Lanning Gallery, Columbus, OH

  • 1997: Northwood Gallery, Northwood, MI

  • 1996: Lanning Gallery, Columbus, OH

  • 1995:
  • Metropolis Gallery, Seattle, WA

  • Pump House Gallery, Chillicothe, OH

  • The Lancaster Festival, Lancaster, OH

  • 1993: Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

  • Group Exhibitions
  • 2004: Contemporary Artists Center, North Adams, MA, "National Exhibition"

  • 2003: Ohio State Fair, Columbus, OH, "Fair Arts Exhibition"

  • 2002: Exit Art, New York, NY, "Reactions"

  • 2001: Buckham Gallery, Flint, MI, "Out of Line: Element & Essence"

  • 1998:
  • Buckham Gallery, Flint, MI

  • Northwood Gallery, Midland, MI

  • 1997:
  • Mesa Art Center, Mesa, AZ, "National Exhibition"

  • Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ

  • 1995: Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY, "Regional Competitive Exhibition"

  • 1994:
  • Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV, "Exhibition 280: Works on Walls"

  • Gallery V, Columbus, OH

  • Columbus Art League, Columbus, OH, "Fall Exhibition for The Columbus Art League"

  • 1993:
  • Armory Art Center, West Palm Beach, FL, "National Exhibition"

  • Galesburg Civic Art Center, Galesburg, IL, "National Competition"

  • 1991: Roberta Kuhn Gallery, Columbus, OH, "Regional Competitive Exhibition"


  • Robert Wright is a also a part of the following collections:
  • Albers & Albers Law Offices, Columbus OH
  • Bank One Corporation, Columbus, OH
  • Davenport & Associates, Columbus, OH
  • Honda Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
  • Mlicki Design, Inc., Columbus, OH
  • Picture Me Rollin' Productions, Columbus, OH
  • Selection of paintings from Robert Wright


    Read the guestbook of Robert Wright

    Sign the guestbook of Robert Wright


  • Second Prize in "Art International '97" Competition, Nutley, NJ, 1997

  • First Prize in New England Painting Festival, Bristol, RI, 1975

  • Professional Development Grant, Ohio Arts Council, Columbus, OH, 1992


  • The Flint Journal, "Buckham Puts Spotlight on 2 Painters, 2 Ceramacists" 1998, Flint, MI. Exhibition Review.

  • Saginaw News, "The Wright Stuff: Artist's Acrylics A Moving Experience" 1997, Saginaw, MI. Review and Profile.

  • The Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, "Artist Depicts Movement in his Own Style" 1992, Lancaster. OH. Exhibition Review.