Robert P. Cenedella, Jr. (born May 24, 1940) is an American artist. He became well known for several of his paintings, including commissions by Bacardi, Heinz, Absolut Vodka and Le Cirque.
Early life
Robert Cenedella was born in Milford, Massachusetts, on May 24, 1940. He grew up in Wilton, Connecticut, with his two older sisters, and later moved to New York in his early teens. At the age of 4, Cenedella looked at Moby Dick, illustrated by Rockwell Kent, which inspired him to pursue art.<ref>Art Bastard (2016) 4:14-4:30]</ref> Naturally left-handed, Cenedella was forced at an early age to use his right-hand. Cenedella had difficulty learning to read, showed signs of dyslexia, and developed a stutter, possibly due to the forced use of his right hand. He stayed in Connecticut with his mother until he was 12, and Robert moved in with his father in New York City. He attended the High School of Music and Art in New York, but was expelled for writing a satirical letter about the atom bomb drill to the school's principal. In 1957, in response to the "I Like Elvis" button craze, Cenedella and Edmund Leites made the "I Like Ludwig" button. The button became a national seller, making it in an article of Observation Post and a comic of Peanuts where Charlie Brown sees Schroeder wearing the button. Cenedella continued to receive his formal education at The Art Students League of New York, where he studied under the German satirical painter George Grosz. In 1988, he took over the George Grosz Chair at The Art Students League and taught three courses from 1988 to 2016. From 2016 to 2020, he continued to teach courses on a limited basis. He has been on a sabbatical since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is painting full-time in his new studio in Maine.
Career
1950s-1960s; Satirical paintings, pop art, and Hostility dart boards
In the 1950s, Cenedella began to paint, the same time when there was a boom in abstract expressionism. His main inspirations were Reginald Marsh, Ben Shahn, and George Bellows. In reaction to Pop Art and Andy Warhol, he put on an art show titled Yes Art from October 19- November 6 of '65, giving out S&H green stamps, satirizing pop art to the point of absurdity. He did it as a "farewell to art" and didn't paint for the next ten years.
One of the most controversial works he did was the Hostility Dart Board which had the faces of Lyndon B. Johnson, Nixon, The Lady Bird, Bobby Kennedy, and Neil Reagan. The boards were later discontinued on June 12, 1968, by Robert himself. In 1968, he made illustrations for the Karl Marx book The Communist Manifesto which has his signature satirical style. WBAI sold Cenedella's 1968 version of the book after his recognition from the 2016 documentary Art Bastard.1970s-present
From 1965-1974, Cenedella took a pause from painting full-time. He decided to take up a 9-5 job and worked at an ad agency during this time. After getting home from his job, he predominately drew Black & White Ink Brush Drawings late into the night. There are only two paintings known to have been done during his hiatus from the Art world, The Cross (1971) and George Grosz in America (1973).George Grosz in America (1973) by Artist Robert Cenedella In 1975, he began painting full-time once again and choose to paint frequented bars, New York landmarks/landscapes, and commented on the current political climate.
Following a tradition in art established by the likes of Pieter Brueghel, George Bellows, Marcel Duchamp, Honoré Daumier, William Hogarth and George Grosz before him, Robert Cenedella's works are known for their pictorial satire, humor and fantasy. His art chronicles the changing rituals and myths of society in contemporary America. In the last 20 years, Cenedella has amassed considerable international praise as well as inclusion in numerous public and private collections. His commissions include works for the Bacardi Int’l,Absolut Vodka, a theater piece for Tony Randall, and two paintings for the Le Cirque 2000 Restaurant in New York and Mexico City. Cenedella's “Le Cirque — The First Generation” still hangs at the restaurant's entryway and is featured in the book “A Table at Le Cirque”.