Collection: Hugo Robus, N.A.

Hugo Robus (1885-1964), is a National Academician and sculptor from Cleveland, OH. Robus, briefly concentrated on cubist painting until 1920, when he changed his focus primarily to sculpting. He is known for his flowing, curvilinear bronze and silver cast figures, which emphasize the pure form of the human body by combining motion and solid form in a simple flowing nature. His sculptures are also, known for their expressive facial details resembling the style of Japanese Nō drama masks, which were popular at the time.

Robus, studied for four years at the Cleveland School of Art before moving to New York City around 1907 to be trained as a painter at the National Academy of Design. He stayed in New York until 1912, when he went to France and studied under noted sculptor, Antoine Bourdelle at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere, where he worked with moulds. When he returned to New York City in 1918.

Robus, would not publicly exhibit his work until the 1930’s and had his first solo show in 1949. He received awards from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1942, and from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadephia in 1950 and 1953.

In 1958, he had his first large solo exhibition, held by the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.. Upon his death in 1964, he was awarded a traveling retrospective by the Smithsonian.

His works are included in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C.