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Robert Weaver Collection

The Robert Weaver Collection includes original artwork in the form of sketches, paintings, and collages. The Collection also contains published material featuring Weaver’s artwork. Weaver began his career in New York in 1952; over the next three decades, his work appeared in Esquire, Fortune, Life, Look, Playboy, Seventeen, Sports Illustrated, and TV Guide, among many other publications.

In the 1950s, Weaver epitomized a socially engaged approach to commercial illustration. With a focus on the urban landscape, Weaver left the artistic process visible, reflecting his commitment to manifesting the changing cultural climate onto the page. He stressed the importance of drawing life from life, guided by a precisely rendered political conscience. By fragmenting composition, Weaver introduced multiple viewpoints and jagged sequential narrative into a traditionally fixed point of view.

Robert Weaver was the recipient of numerous awards from The Society of Illustrators. Weaver was elected into the Society’s Hall of Fame in 1985, along with the Art Director’s Clubs of New York and Philadelphia. Weaver’s work was the subject of the posthumous retrospective Seeing is Not Believing: The Art of Robert Weaver at the Norman Rockwell Museum in 1997.

Robert Weaver Collection on JSTOR

All WashU faculty, students, and staff can access this collection by creating an account or logging in to JSTOR. Users outside the university can contact Special Collections staff for access privileges.

Access these Materials

Search the Robert Weaver Collection on ArchivesSpace

For virtual research appointments, contact the Curator of the Dowd Illustration Research Archive

Plan Your Visit

Contact

Department
Preservation, Processing, and Exhibitions, Special Collections, Special Collections, Preservation, and Digital Strategies
Name
Andrea Degener
sher/her/hers
Job Title
Curator for the Dowd Illustration Research Archive; Visual Materials Processing Archivist & Supervisor (Interim)
Phone Number
(314) 935-9382