Artist's Statement

My mission as a sculptor is to create a visual record of modern culture by capturing contemporary everyday objects in stone. By replicating the model on a life-scale along with marking and symbol details, I attempt to freeze the object in time as an artistic form of artifact. I achieve this high degree of realism through the use of such materials as parts of the real object, custom-made stains, paints, plastics and gold leaf.

Robin Antar on HGTV

Video Robin Antar's Studio

Robin Antar's Heinz Ketchup Commerical

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Polishing the Knot

we are up to 170 grit, must go up to 12,000.00 grit, a few days away





Thursday, June 14, 2007

Award Winning Brooklyn Sculptor creates a very large bottle of Heinz Ketchup out of stone at Marble/marble this past summer

Award-Winning Brooklyn Sculptor to Create
a very large bottle of Heinz® Ketchup out of Red Travertine at
Sculpting Camp in Marble, CO this Summer
JULY 13 – AUGUST 5, 2007



Award Winning Brooklyn Sculptor creates a very large bottle of Heinz Ketchup out of stone at Marble/marble this summer Award-Winning Brooklyn Sculptor to Creates a very large Bottle of Heinz® Ketchup out of Red Travertine at Sculpting Camp in Marble, CO this SummerJULY 13 – AUGUST 5, 2007Brooklyn, NY – Award winning sculptor Robin Antar, known for her realism in stone, will carve out a very large bottle of Heinz® Ketchup this summer at the MARBLE/marble Symposium, in Marble, Co. for the Marble Institute of Colorado, July 13 – August 5th. When it’s completed, the sculpture will be placed in the corporate headquarters of Heinz in Pittsburgh, PA. for a limited amount of time. Ms. Antar, who was recently named in the Best of American Sculptors 2007, is known for her icons of American culture, often described as trompe l'oeil. Her works include a Skechers’ logger boot, a pair of Diesel jeans, a bag of Milano cookies, a bottle of Chateau Haut-Brion, and an 800 lb. bag of M & M’s, & much more.Antar replicates meticulously to scale these objects in carved stone so realistically, that one has trouble distinguishing her sculptures from the real thing.Once Antar completes the Heinz® Ketchup bottle sculpture, she will shoot a commercial about the experience and submit it to the Heinz® Ketchup “Top This” TV Contest, which challenges consumers to create the next great Heinz® Ketchup TV Commercial, a competition that was launched by the company earlier this year.Each year the Marble Institute of Colorado (http://www.marbleinst.org/) offers marble sculpting sessions to sculptors who wish to create in a non-competitive atmosphere of sharing and camaraderie. The marble worksite sits amongst stands of aspen, pine and tall Douglas firs along the Crystal River of Marble, CO.Robin Antar’s works have appeared in exhibitions at museums, galleries, corporate offices and universities, ranging from the City Museum in St. Louis, to the Nabisco Corporation Gallery, to New York University. She recently appeared on HGTV’s That’s Clever, where she transformed a block of stone into a life-like boot. She sells her original pieces for upwards of $25,000.Several of Antar’s works are currently featured in a new exhibition, ‘Made in the USA,’ on view at the Blue Hill Art and Cultural Center in Pearl River, NY, JUNE 12-NOV 30, 2007.Additionally, an online exhibition features her work at: http://www.upstreampeoplegallery.com/, JUNE, 2007 - May 31, 2008.For additional information, visit her website at http://www.rantar.com/. (Interviews, photos & demos available by contacting Vicki Garfinkel vickig@eclipse.net# # #

pictures from the Pearl River Show






Made In the USA is the Theme of the New Exhibit at the Blue Hill Cultural Center, Pearl River, NY

‘MADE In The USA’ is Theme of New Exhibit at the
Blue Hill Cultural Center, Pearl River, NY, JUNE 14 – NOV 30, 2007


Brooklyn Sculptor will be among 60 Exhibiting Artists, all members of the National Association of Women Artists


Pearl River, NY – ‘Made in the USA’ is the theme selected by the National Association of Women Artists in collaboration with the Blue Hill Cultural Center in Pearl River, NY. Works by 58 female artists will be on view JUNE 14 through NOVEMBER 30, 2007 at the Rockland County based center. For information the public may contact 845-359-1584.
Among the artists participating will be Brooklyn mom and sculptor Robin Antar, who will display her lifelike 800 pound bag of M & M’s, as well as her abstract works in limestone, ‘Body Movement’ and ‘Vision.’
Ms. Antar, who is known best for her icons of American culture, often described as trompe l'oeil, was recently named in the Best of American Sculptors 2007.
Antar’s works have appeared in exhibitions at museums, galleries, corporate offices and universities, ranging from the City Museum in St. Louis, to the Nabisco Corporation Gallery, to New York University. She recently appeared on HGTV’s That’s Clever, where she transformed a block of stone into a life-like boot. She sells her original pieces for upwards of $25,000.
The theme for the new exhibition, ‘Made in the USA,’ is open ended with interpretations from the literal to the metaphorical. Images can be as literal as a presentation of goods manufactured in the United States, or expressions of nostalgia, or patriotism, or scenes of the American landscape. The metaphorical end of the spectrum encompasses interpretations that are spiritual or visionary.
The National Association of Women Artists (NAWA) was founded in 1889, and is the oldest professional women’s fine arts organization in the United States. Through its exhibitions, programs and archive, NAWA fosters awareness of the monumental contributions of women to the history of American art.
The Blue Hill Art and Cultural Center has been the site for major exhibitions of Fine Art since 1984. It remains the prime exhibition space in Rockland County for American and international artists of outstanding achievement and reputation whose work is suited for public space. Blue Hill Plaza is a beautifully landscaped corporate center where a pond and an atrium unite two contemporary buildings that house Rockland’s prime businesses.
A special reception for the artists will beheld JUNE 14th, 5:30-8:00 PM at the Blue Hill Cultural Center, located at One Blue Hill Plaza, Pearl River, NY. Information: 845-359-1584.
Note to Media: Photos and demos of Ms. Antar’s work, as well as interviews are available. For arrangements contact Vicki Garfinkel, vickig@eclipse.net

Brooklyn Artist Robin Antar receives special recognition

June 5, 2007 -- Artist ROBIN ANTAR of BROOKLYN, NEW YORK has received an Award of Excellence and a Special Recognition Merit Award for artwork in the "9th Annual Collage, Digital & Mixed Media International Juried Online Art Exhibition” hosted by http://www.upstreampeoplegallery.com/.This international exhibition received over 300 entries from around the world and 59 artists were selected by the juror Larry Bradshaw, Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.Professor Bradshaw states this about this specially recognized work:“Robin Antar of Brooklyn, NY is a super realist sculptress. Her attention to accuracy and detail is phenomenal especially seen in her limestone carving of a denim jacket appropriately titled “Jacket”. The folds, the buttons, the pockets and cuffs are superbly carved out. Another strong work is “Jeans” which shows a pair of jeans as if hanging from something. It’s amazing to see the accuracy of the zipper and even the lettering on the tags are very convincing.”The exhibition will be on display online during June, 2007 at http://www.upstreampeoplegallery.com/ and continue for 12 months, closing May 31, 2008.Further information about the artist:"Brooklyn-based sculptor Robin Antar replicates meticulously to scale everyday objects (shoes, clothing and candy) in carved stone. The result is a staggering and challenging trompe l'oeil for the viewer: is it a sculpture or is it the real thing?
Her works include a Skechers’ logger boot, a pair of Diesel jeans, a bag of Milano cookies, a bottle of Chateau Haut-Brion, and a bag of M & M’s, and much more. They are among the many icons of American culture that comprise the unique works of NY artist Robin Antar, recently named in the Best of American Sculptors 2007.
This mother of three sculpts visual duplications of the products of our culture in her studio, “freezing” the objects in time.

Antar’s works have appeared in exhibitions at museums, galleries, corporate offices and universities, ranging from the City Museum in St. Louis, to the Nabisco Corporation Gallery, to New York University. She recently appeared on HGTV’s That’s Clever, where she transformed a block of stone into a life-like boot. She sells her original pieces for upwards of $25,000.
“I record markings and symbols that reflect an object’s life and use, including their wear and tear in the form of creases, folds, dents and crevices,” said Antar, a graduate of the School of Visual Arts. “Most of the carvings are done in life scale and are intended to defy the viewer to discern the sculpture from the original object.”
Indeed, her artwork is amazingly lifelike. An Italian shoe shows the ever-so-slight signs of wear, and a plate of cookies, stacked just so, forces an observer to look twice before considering whether to swipe one. At a recent exhibit, her artwork had to be roped off because many people felt the urge to touch them.
She can spend anywhere from three to six months on a piece. To create a boot, for example, Antar cut lines and made deep scratches in the stone to mimic the sole. She tinted it with a thin coat of black, letting the grains of the stone show through. She then applied a thicker coat on the sole, creating the look of rubber.
Sculpting since she was 14 and a student at Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, Antar typically works at night – after her husband and children are asleep. In contrast to the order of her home and the gallery-like quality of her living room where she rotates her favorite pieces, her studio houses 20,000 pounds of stone (which spills over into her garage), works in progress (at present a bottle of Heinz ketchup), and the unusual tools of her trade (including heavy drills that seem far too bulky for the slight Antar to lift, much less sculpt with).
She sculpts both objects that catch her fancy and commissioned pieces that can range from one’s favorite pair of clothes to a family heirloom (e.g. a tallis, or Jewish prayer cloth). Her work can be found in many homes and private collections, including that of U.S. Senator Charles Schumer.
“The work is physically demanding and the fine detail requires an immense amount of focus and time,” said Antar, who has also developed a clientele for another aspect of her work, Judaic ceremonial artwork. “The money and the recognition are nice, but you do this for love.”
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Recently Antar created a line of Wine Knots, sculptures that hold bottles of wine and also stand alone as art. This summer Ms. Antar can be found at sculpting camp in Marble, CO, where she’ll transform 1,000 pounds of red travertine marble into a lifelike bottle of Heinz Ketchup.
Ms. Antar’s work will be on view at the Blue Hill Cultural Center, Pearl River, NY, as part of the “Made in the USA” exhibition, JUNE 12-NOV 30, 2007. For additional information, visit her website at http://www.rantar.com/. (Interviews, photos & demos available by contacting Vicki Garfinkel, A picture and more information about this work can be downloaded athttp://tinyurl.com/325ooohttp://tinyurl.com/2tjzzsUpstream People Gallery Team5607 Howard StreetOmaha, NE 68106-1257shows@upstreampeoplegallery.comMedia Contact: Vicki Garfinkel, vickig@eclipse.net

Friday, June 08, 2007

Robin Antar's latest creation "Knot"






Robin Antar's latest "Wine Knots"

Robin Antar would like to introduce you to her new line of "Wine Knots." These are sculptures that hold wine, but they are also stand alone works of art. When you run out of wine, you never have an empty wine rack lying around.
This elegant, curvaceous sculpture is both functional and beautiful. It can serve as a table center piece for holiday gatherings or a conversation piece gracing your den. No matter how you choose to display the “Wine Knots,” the modern and simple design will make a bold statement.