"Natkin is a visual poet whose apparently abstract images actually exist to enchant us with intimations and evocations of things we can sense but never quite see." - Theodore F. Wolff
Robert Natkin, born in Chicago in 1930, pursued art despite a difficult childhood. He embraced abstract expressionism and became part of Chicago's abstract expressionist group. In 1959, he moved to New York City and exhibited his work at various galleries. Natkin's art featured experimental textures and emphasized the therapeutic value of artistic expression. He gained recognition through retrospectives and international exhibitions. Natkin passed away in Connecticut at the age of seventy-nine. A documentary exploring the connection between art and psychoanalysis featured his work in 1979. His art is featured in major museums, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and The Art Institute of Chicago.