David Robilliard was the quintessential London artist. Born in 1952 on the Channel Island Guernsey, he moved to London in 1975 and became a close friend of Gilbert & George’s.
Robillard's career began in Hoxton where he met the painter Andrew Heard (1958-1993), with whom he shared a studio around the corner from Old Street underground station. Robillard met Gilbert Proesch and George Passmore while working as a day laborer on building sites. Instantly enchanted by Robillard, the duo later published his book of poems, ‘Inevitable’ in 1984. A protégé of Gilbert & George, he also appeared on the film “The World of Gilbert & George“ (1981) and was described by the famous duo as the new master of the modern person and their favorite writer.
As an autodidact, Robilliard did not belong to any artistic school. His art, comprised of writing - mainly scribblings and simple outline drawings, is based on his innate poetic skill and is marked by a fresh directness and uncompromising honesty. He had a seminal impact on the YBAs who followed his practice, though working with fewer, cheaper materials to produce arguably more profound content.
The sharp humor in the text-image conflagration of Robilliard’s paintings conveys deep humanity and vulnerability. Once he was diagnosed with HIV, Robilliard took to introducing himself, unapologetically, as “David Robilli- AIDS”. But even tinged with grief (“a burst of tears / from all your friends / the end”) the poet’s dark wit endured.
Robilliardʼs body of work consists of 61 paintings and a few hundred works on paper and is found in large institutional collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York and Tate Modern, London.
David Robilliard’s first solo exhibition was at Stephen Bartley Gallery in 1984, soon followed by one at James Birch Fine Art in 1985 and another at Birch and Conran in 1987. He also exhibited at quintessential London venues such as The Hippodrome and L'Escargot restaurant, as well as at The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam which honored Robilliardʼs singular style posthumously in 1993 in a comprehensive solo show ("A Roomful of Hungry Looks"). Their out-of-print catalogue forms his catalogue raisonné. In 1998 he had a solo show at Cornerhouse in Manchester of which no record exists online, followed by a show at ScheiblerMitte in Berlin in 2009.
In 2014, ICA brought together a selection of paintings which combine figurative elements with text taken directly from Robilliard's own poems in the first UK institutional exhibition for over twenty years. Coded and knowing, his evocative prose alludes to intimate sexual encounters and passing infatuations that ultimately conjure an image of 1980s queer London.
"I’m very pleased with the ICA show that we’re doing, we’re going for total purity. It’s so purist. It’s paintings. We’re not doing an archive. We’re not putting it into a historical context. We obviously have no interest to disconnect the poems from the paintings, but for instance I was thinking the other day we should put labels next to these, then I thought, well actually, they are already their own labels. They are very very fresh. I cannot wait to get them on the wall. I now know they are down in Vauxhall in storage. We’ve got crates that are building up there, I think we’re one short. It’s been an incredible journey just to pull these paintings together.” - from a conversation with ICA’s Executive Director, Gregor Muir."
"David Robilliard was the sweetest, kindest, most infuriating, artistic, foul-mouthed, witty, charming, handsome, thoughtful, unhappy, loving and friendly person we ever met. Over the nine years of our friendship David came closer to us than any other person. He will live forever in our hearts and minds." Gilbert and George wrote the above on July 7, 1990. "Starting with pockets filled with disorganised writings and sketches, he went on to produce highly original poetry, drawings and paintings. His truthfulness, sadness desperation and love of people gave his work a brilliance and beauty that stands out a mile."
As poets come and go, David Robilliard arrived all too quickly, and went all too soon. His work was funny, ironic and sad, a cross between Jean Cocteau and Andy Warhol in the line of art, and Stevie Smith and Edward Lear in the written word.
Two Faces, 1987
Not While I'm Doing This
Double Portrait of Heads
There is Always Some Other Turkey To Blame
Figure with Jersey
These Bells Will Never Stop Ringing
Portrait of Heard
Naked Figure
Wrestling
The Way You Are Squeezing Me
The Insect As Business
Two Thirds of a Match
Clear Picture
Two Faces
Send Me More Cards
You Are My Shooting Star
Work is the Curse of the Drinking Classes
Interior With Telephone
Splashing Waves
Ethiopia Having Fun
Ethiopia Got It
Meeting Interesting People
Portrait of a Head
Are You A Risk or An Investment
Andrew Heard
Bumfluff
