Robert Xavier Burden is a Canadian artist currently based in California.[1] He is best known for his large-scale decorative oil paintings depicting his childhood action figures, set against wallpaper and fabric patterns from his childhood home.[2][3][4]
While at the Art Institute, he was awarded the Irène Pijoan Memorial Painting Award.[8] Burden was also the recipient of the Murphy and Cadogan Fellowship.[9] He has also previously held part-time faculty positions at City College of San Francisco and Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California.[1] Burden received a large amount of attention for his 15 foot by 8 foot oil painting The 20th Century Space Opera[10][11], which depicts over 150 different vintage Star Wars action figures.[12][13] The painting received mixed reviews, and was featured on ABC News, StarWars.com[4], and The Chicago Tribune.[14][15][16] Wired (magazine)|Wired Magazine wrote a news article about the painting under the headline The $200k Star Wars Painting That No One Will Ever Buy.[17][18][19] Burden currently resides in Southern California.
Burden's work has been exhibited at galleries and museums throughout North America, including The Carnegie Arts Center,[20] The MOAH, The Lesher Center For The Arts, The Huntsville Museum of Art[21], The California Center For The Arts, Escondido[22], La Luz De Jesus Gallery[23], Roq La Rue Gallery[24], Gregorio Escalante Gallery,[25][12] and Oceanside Museum of Art.[26]