Born in Ohio (1942), and raised in Short Hills, New Jersey, Robert Hooke is a graduate of Bowdoin College, and Columbia University, where he earned an MBA. A decorated Navy lieutenant who fought during the Vietnam war, Hooke went on to pursue a highly successful career on Wall Street and in the City of London. During his time in the financial world, however, he continued to work as an artist, studying with Herbert Kallem at the School for the Visual Arts in New York.
Robert’s sculptures are in private, corporate and museum collections in Europe, Australia, Africa and the US. He has successfully sold sculpture at Christie’s New York and has had exhibitions in London, Amsterdam, Geneva, Zurich, Basel, Sydney, Johannesburg, Cape Town and San Francisco.
Compton Acres Public Park, UK
The Mockoviak Collection
The Rowand Collection
The Oppenheimer Collection
The Samuel and Julia Rose Collection
The Olanow Collection
Bowdoin College
Ansell Corporation
Moore Properties Inc.
Gideon Putnam, Saratoga Springs
Robert Hooke distills animal form and human emotion to the point of almost abstraction. He works in marble, soapstone, alabaster and patinated bronze. These materials allow him to create the smooth surfaces and subtle, flowing lines that characterize his sculptures. When asked how he approaches the artistic representation of a figure or animal, Hooke often quotes the jazzman Miles Davis: "creativity is not the notes you put in, but the ones you leave out.”
Hooke is uniquely able to convey meaning through the body language of his animals and human figures. In doing so, he allows viewers the space for their own interpretation of his work. He recognizes that form and narrative are irrevocably intertwined and that the beauty of their interaction is best understood when form is stripped of all unnecessary embellishments. Hooke strongly agrees with Hans Hoffman’s observation that one must “eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak”.
American Art Collector, July 2017
Artsy Sculpture Focus, June 2017
Hamptons Real Estate Showcase, August 2016
Long Island Pulse, August 2015
American Art Collector, August 2015
The Nice Niche, Sculpture for Home and Garden, July 2015
Easthampton Star, May 2014
Dan's Paper's, September 2012
27 East, July 2010
Alberto Linero Gallery, Miami, Florida
Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York, NY
Gallery Faust, Geneva, Switzerland
Thorens Gallery, Basel, Switzerland
Alwyn Gallery, London, UK
Hooke Sculpture Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
Zeiger Arts, East Hampton, NY
Jacoby Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa
Art Scene Gallery, London, UK
Sandton Sun Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
DC Art, Sydney, Australia
Royal Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland
DeVreeze Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Gump's Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Romanet Gallery, Paris, France
Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
SPA Gallery, Saratoga Springs, NY
Sheldon Gallery, Newport, RI
Matheson Gallery, Miami, FL
WEF Gallery, Welllington, FL
Dodds & Eder, Sag Harbor, NY
Hampton Classic, Bridgehampton, NY
Palm Beach Design Showroom
Sheldon Fine Art, Naples FL
