Robert The

BROWSE ARTISTS

Bookgun.com

Robert The is a New York City artist known for his gun-like books and other sculptures made primarily of books which he has been creating since the early 1990s. Each book is carefully selected to create a play-on-words or add an ironic dimension to his recycled artwork. According to the Chicago Reader, “The is reluctant to betray his trade secrets, saying only that he uses a power saw and that paper is harder to cut than wood. Each year he cranks out hundreds of pieces–every one is different”. The states, “Obsession with the semiotic erosion of meaning and reality led me to create objects that evangelize their own relevance by a direct fusion of word and form. Books (many culled from dumpsters and thrift store bins) are lovingly vandalized back to life so they can assert themselves against the culture which turned them into debris.” 

The’s gun books have been collected by the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.