The Messenger Collection would like to share a little Americana from artist Robert Gunn as we prepare to celebrate American Independence Day on the Fourth of July!

The artwork of Robert Gunn captures the spirit of America, reflecting people who care about each other in the world they live. Gunn’s paintings speak of America’s values and ideals of the mid twentieth century. A master technician, Robert is a firm believer in the importance of working from a detailed pencil drawing. Most of his concentration focused on the face of each character. The people in the paintings are the essential elements of each piece. He shares that developing and perfecting the expressions is the most difficult, but the most important part of his work. His work displays a distinctive ability to express the priceless moments of good times, family and friends.

In 1976, Gunn received the Norman Rockwell Cover Award from the Saturday Evening Post. The publishers proclaimed him “the artist most likely to carry on the tradition of Americana established by Norman Rockwell.” His work includes several paintings that commemorate great events from past Olympic games, which now hang in the Olympic headquarters in New York City. In 1979, he was selected to paint President Carter’s portrait for display in the Presidential Museum. Robert Gunn has done illustrations for numerous corporate clients including the Franklin Mint, Reader’s Digest, Redbook, Field and Stream, Time-Life, Calendar Promotions Inc. (Acquired by Norwood Promotional Products) and many others. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including those from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, and from the National Exhibition at the Society of Illustrators in New York.