'Abstract, Emerald and Cobalt' by Robert Inman, 1981, Chouinard, Osaka, Butler Institute of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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Signed lower right, 'Inman' for Robert Inman (American, 1927–2016) and dated, lower right, outside of image, 1981. Retaining original, card, … Read more Signed lower right, 'Inman' for Robert Inman (American, 1927–2016) and dated, lower right, outside of image, 1981. Retaining original, card, mat and backing boards.

This abstract expressionist work features a composition of saturated cobalt and electric blues juxtaposed against a verdant green and sharp yellow.

Robert Inman first studied at Occidental College and, subsequently, at the Chouinard Art Institute. After graduating in 1952, he worked as a technical illustrator and, from 1959, was employed by UPA and MGM Studios as a key background painter. A bold and expressive colorist, Inman designed and painted scenery for a variety of notable films and television shows including The Mr. Magoo Show, The Dick Tracy Show, Tom & Jerry and Dr. Seuss's, 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' among numerous others. After retiring as an animator in 1973, Inman focused on his career as a fine artist. He exhibited widely and with success, including at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art picture gallery, the Butler Institute of Art and the Umeda Museum of Modern Art in Osaka, among others. Inman's work may be found in private, corporate and public collections world-wide including the collections of IBM and Bank of America and the permanent collection of the Umeda Museum of Modern Art in Japan, among others.

Speaking of his work, Robert Inman said:
“I’ve gone through three different stages in my painting career. I started out doing realistic works and ended up an abstract painter. People sometimes ask me “Why did you put that color there?” or “What were you thinking about when you did that painting?” I tell them I don’t think a lot about those decisions when I’m working. I work emotionally not intellectually. After so many years I’ve learned to trust myself---to just let it out. If I think too much about what I’m doing my work will get fussy or stiff. I work from the belly.”

Partial List of Exhibitions:
1995 Millard Sheets Gallery, Pomona, CA
Art Studio Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Westside Art Forum, Los Angeles, CA
World Works Gallery, Pismo Beach, CA
1994 LA Art Installations Four, Los Angeles, CA
Gallery Umeda, Osaka, Japan
UCLA Hammer Museum Sales & Rental Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Boston Corp. Art, Boston, MA
West Side Art Forum, Los Angeles, CA
1993 Annual Juried Competition, "Brand XXIII", Glendale, CA.
Los Angeles Juried Exhibition, Barnsdall Park, Los Angeles, CA
Allrich Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Hartog Fine Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
801 North Brand Gallery, Glendale, CA
1992 Ambassador Galleries, NY, NY
Reece Galleries, NY, NY
Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH
1991 Umeda Museum of Modern Art, Osaka, Japan
Gallery Umeda Ginza Salon, Tokyo, Japan
Iri Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1990 LAAC, Los Angeles, CA
Bridge Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1989 Gallery Umeda, Osaka, Japan
Ivey Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1986 Ariel Gallery, NY, NY
Valerie Miller Fine Arts, Palm Desert, CA
The Givenness Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1987 Long Beach Open Juried Exhibition, Long Beach, CA
Los Angeles County Museum Corporate Rental & Sales Gallery
1986 American Institute of Architects, Santa Clara, CA
1985 Nagase Memorial Museum, Tokyo, Japan
1984 Yates Associated, Sunset Beach, CA
Gallery Haku, Osaka, Japan
Montalvo Center for the Arts, Saratoga, CA

Selected Public Collections::
Hale and Dorr, Boston, MA
Essex Investment Management Co. Inc., Boston, MA
Royal Hotel, Osaka, Japan
Daikin Kogyo Corp., Osaka, Japan
Bank of America
Umeda Museum of Modern Art, Osaka, Japan
Toyota Motors U.S.A. Headquarters
IBM Corporation Headquarters See less