ROBERT KUO

Robert Kuo was born in Beijing in 1946. He moved with his family to Taiwan in 1947 where he grew up in an artistic environment. His father, an art professor and Chinese watercolor painter, started a cloisonné atelier where Robert became an apprentice at age 15. Although he never engaged in formal art studies, he gained technical expertise and learned about decorative tradition from his father and from ‘hands on' training. As he mastered each of the steps involved in cloisonné, from preparing copper bases to preparing enamels and firing the kilns, Kuo absorbed all the basics that were to serve him as he pursued his career as an artist.

A visit to the United States persuaded the young artist that the American environment would benefit him, both personally and professionally. In 1973, he immigrated to the United States and opened a studio for cloisonné in Beverly Hills. Kuo soon cultivated a sophisticated clientele that appreciated the way he ‘opened up' Chinese decorative traditions. Utilizing the influences of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, Kuo introduced new shapes, finishes, and objects to cloisonné. It was during this time that the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery acquired his "Goldfish Bowl" for it's permanent collection.

In 1985, Kuo shifted his focus from working in cloisonné to repoussé, the art of hammering decorative relief into metal. The artist began to experiment with shaping the copper itself to create new forms. He also developed different finishes to apply to the hammered metal. Kuo looked to China for artisans experienced in ancient repoussé techniques. He trained these craftsmen to adapt their skills to create new repoussé forms and objects. In 1997, Robert Kuo designed an innovative repoussé lighting collection for McGuire, and in 2000, he created a striking copper repoussé bathtub and lavatories for Ann Sacks Tile and Stone. Today he spends 4 to 6 months a year in China, working along side artisans to create new pieces which are appreciated and collected by an international clientele.

While most of Robert Kuo's work over the past 15 years has been in repoussé, the artist has recently returned to cloisonné and has brought new levels of artistic and technical innovation to this ancient art form. In 2000, he designed and created a new collection of cloisonné lighting for McGuire, and today he continues to push the limits of traditional cloisonné techniques.

In 1999, he began to work in lacquer. As with repoussé and cloisonné, Kuo has taken this medium beyond the traditional colors and designs, and has combined it with repoussé to create stunning objects, some of which take up to one year to produce.

In 2001, McGuire Furniture Company commissioned Kuo to create an edition of furniture and lighting. This collection would bring together the various mediums and decorative traditions that have inspired him throughout his career, and would draw upon his knowledge as an experienced collector of Chinese antiques.

Kuo continues to expand his exclusive line of lighting, tabletop and mirrors for Baker Knapp & Tubbs Showrooms and Baker Stores. His fresh interpretation of early Eastern forms results in artwork that is unquestionably contemporary in nature, but with a birthright that goes back many centuries. These pieces for Baker Knapp & Tubbs are elegant in their simplicity; the innate hues and subtle characteristics of the elements revealed through their clean lines and unadorned shapes.

Robert Kuo lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Alice.