Robert McIntosh
"Three Friends"
1945-50

About the Item

We are proud to present a recently discovered original abstract/figurative painting by American artist Robert McIntosh(1916-2010). "Three Friends" is an original mixed media painting on panel, signed, dated 1945-50, good original condition with a dimension of 12 x 10 inches, currently unframed. We are including a biography on American artist Robert McIntosh, please contact the gallery for additional information. Presenting a magnificent, early original pastel, "The Artist's Portrait", by American artist Robert McIntosh. "The Artist's Portrait", is an original pastel on artist's paper, signed, dated 1937, 13 x 9.75, currently unframed, the portrait was acquired directly from the personal collection of the artist. We have included the artist's biography below please contact the gallery for additional information, Robert McIntosh (1916-2010) Robert McIntosh was born on March 11, 1916 near San Francisco, in Vallejo, California, the second son of Harry and Jesusita Coronado McIntosh. He found his lifelong passion for painting by the time he was ten years old and never swayed from his calling. The family moved to Stockton when Robert was 12. Their home was just six blocks from the newly opened Haggin Museum, filled with a treasure trove of European and American paintings. He became particularly enamored with the fine examples of 19th century French pastoral landscapes. As teens, Robert and his brother Harrison befriended local painter Arthur Haddock who taught them the craft of art and brought them along on outdoor painting trips. Robert also became skilled at drawing portraits that captured the subject's personality. Soon, the sheer joy of expressing himself this way became a consuming interest. When not sketching, McIntosh would wander the stacks of books at the public library, discovering and studying the Masters - in particular, Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Whistler. At a Gauguin exhibit at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, Robert discovered a "whole new world of color" and the importance of designing the space in the eternal rectangle. "I envision a frame around everything I see, "he admitted. "The artists' challenge is to put something meaningful, interesting or beautiful in that space." In 1934 McIntosh won a competition for a scholarship to the Art Center School of Design, the first award they ever bestowed. The entire family moved to Los Angeles and a new vista opened to the young artist, both visually and culturally. Robert began to take on portrait commissions and had exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Art, The Oakland Museum of Art and the Crocker Museum of Art in Sacramento. During the Great Depression, Robert began to work at Disney Studios painting backgrounds for such classics as "Fantasia". Ron Barbagallo, of Animation Art Conservation, recalls that "Bob was a window into a time at Disney few could ever speak about. In better economic times he could have been working as a Fine Artist, but instead took a steady job at Disney working under Dick Anthony. Bob helped define the look of the opening scene in "Pinocchio," the red mud footprints where the Dinosaurs died in "The Rite of Spring" and the meadow in "Bambi". In 1939 he met fellow artist Helen Nerbovig who also worked at the Disney Studios. They married the following year and had one daughter, Georgiana, named after Helen's mother. They became art collectors & patrons travelling widely over the years. Their creative collaboration continued until Helen's death in 1992. In 1942 he was drafted and assigned to Jack Warner's first motion picture unit for the Air Force at the Hal Roach Studios. After the war, he worked for UPA and freelanced for MGM, Warner Bros., and Hanna Barbera. Meanwhile always painting, his work was included in annual exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Robert McIntosh lived in Bel Air, California, where he continued to sketch and paint daily. Devoted to his family, his church and a wide circle of friends, his warmth and charm endeared him to all. But painting was his lifelong companion - through love and war, peace and turmoil, births and deaths - it was his way of communicating, his contribution and his legacy. In 2007, he was introduced to gallery owner Trigg Ison. The result was a rewarding creative association between artist and representative for the last years of Robert's life. Trigg Ison Fine Art is the exclusive representative of the original art of Robert McIntosh.

Creator:
Robert McIntosh (1916, American)
Creation Year:
1945-50
Dimensions:
Height: 12 in (30.48 cm)Width: 10 in (25.4 cm)
Medium:
Mixed Media
Movement & Style:
Abstract
Period:
1940-1949
Condition:
Gallery Location:
West Hollywood, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU13010693572
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Robert McIntosh

For more than seven decades, artist Robert McIntosh expressed his joy for life through drawing and painting. His approach to visual art ran the spectrum, from bold, monochromatic landscapes to vibrant renderings that are alive with color, never confining his work to a single style. Whether using surreal abstract scenes to evoke ephemeral thought or realism for portraits, McIntosh brought the canvas to life with masterful skill.

McIntosh was born in 1916 in Vallejo, California, near San Francisco. By the time he was 10, he had a passion for painting. His creative interests intensified when his family moved to Stockton, California, when he was 12, just a few blocks from a local art museum. He visited the museum often, feeding his desire for artistic knowledge.

In 1934, McIntosh received a scholarship to the Pasadena Art Center School of Design. Soon, he was taking commissions to paint portraits. Not long after, notable museums in the state began exhibiting his work, including the San Francisco Museum of Art (now the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) and the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento.

During the Great Depression, McIntosh worked at Disney Studios, creating background art for animated films. In 1940, he married fellow Disney artist Helen Nerbovig. The military drafted him in 1942, and he worked for the U.S. Army Air Force at Hal Roach Studios. After the war, McIntosh split his time between freelance work for animation studios, like Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera, and work on his art, which was exhibited annually at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

McIntosh continued to paint and sketch throughout his career, consistently producing works of diverse media. He experimented with Expressionism, Cubism, Impressionism and collage. He lived and worked in Bel Air, California, until he died in 2010. Through his many decades of creative expression, McIntosh left a body of work that continues to be treasured by collectors today.

On 1stDibs, find Robert McIntosh’s figurative paintings, landscapes and drawings and watercolors.