Tim Rollins

(American, 1955–2017)

Tim Rollins was an American artist best known for his collaborative works made with teenage students from the South Bronx. Often presented as allegorical critiques of society, he made riffs on canonical literature such as George Orwell’s Animal Farm (1945), as well as legal documents and comic books. As much as educator as an artist, Rollins challenged the elitism inherent to the contemporary art world through his work. “Once we get going and we make a lot of junk, we always have one of those ‘eureka’ days,” the artist once explained. “And then, boom, we get the idea, and we all adapt it for ourselves. So it’s quite beautiful. And it takes patience, patience, patience. You need to make tons of trash to get to your treasure.” Born in 1955 in Pittsfield, ME, he moved to New York in 1975 where he worked as Joseph Kosuth’s assistant, going on to receive his BFA from the School of Visual Arts and later his MA from the New York University in 1979. It was his experience working with students at an Intermediate School in the Bronx that led him to found K.O.S. (Kids of Survival) during the early 1980s. Rollins and K.O.S. went on to participate in the 1985 and 1991 Whitney Biennials, the 1988 Venice Biennale, and the 1988 Carnegie International. He died on December 26, 2017 in New York, NY. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Bronx Museum of Arts, among others.

Tim Rollins Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Tim Rollins (229 results)
Amerika - A refuge (12 studies), 1989–1991

Studio K.O.S.

Amerika - A refuge (12 studies), 1989–1991

Sale Date: September 14, 2010

Auction Closed

F451: The scarlet letter, 1987–1988

Studio K.O.S.

F451: The scarlet letter, 1987–1988

Sale Date: September 14, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled (from journal of the plague year, # , 1988

Studio K.O.S.

Untitled (from journal of the plague year, # , 1988

Sale Date: February 11, 2009

Auction Closed

Black Beauty (from Independent Curators 15th , 1991

Studio K.O.S.

Black Beauty (from Independent Curators 15th , 1991

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed

The red badge of courage III, 1986–1987

Tim Rollins

The red badge of courage III, 1986–1987

Sale Date: May 15, 2010

Auction Closed

K.O.S. kids, 1989

Tim Rollins

K.O.S. kids, 1989

Sale Date: April 13, 2010

Auction Closed

Black beauty (from Independent Curators 15th , 1991

Tim Rollins

Black beauty (from Independent Curators 15th , 1991

Sale Date: November 15, 2009

Auction Closed

The frogs, 1997

Studio K.O.S.

The frogs, 1997

Sale Date: November 12, 2009

Auction Closed

Work from the Amerika series, 1988

Tim Rollins

Work from the Amerika series, 1988

Sale Date: October 7, 2009

Auction Closed

Ronald Reagan (+ A companion painting;..., 1984–1987

Tim Rollins

Ronald Reagan (+ A companion painting;..., 1984–1987

Sale Date: July 1, 2008

Auction Closed

The frogs, 1997

Studio K.O.S.

The frogs, 1997

Sale Date: May 28, 2008

Auction Closed

Untitled (6 works)

Studio K.O.S.

Untitled (6 works)

Sale Date: April 25, 2008

Auction Closed

Golden horn drawings, from America Series..., 1989

Studio K.O.S.

Golden horn drawings, from America Series..., 1989

Sale Date: April 26, 2008

Auction Closed

By any means necessary, 1986

Tim Rollins

By any means necessary, 1986

Sale Date: February 8, 2008

Auction Closed

Untitled (+ Untitled; 2 works), 1999

Tim Rollins

Untitled (+ Untitled; 2 works), 1999

Sale Date: November 17, 2007

Auction Closed

From the Animal Farm - Jesse Helms, 1987

Studio K.O.S.

From the Animal Farm - Jesse Helms, 1987

Sale Date: September 29, 2007

Auction Closed

The Great Diana (+ Ennoia; 2 works from The..., 1990

Studio K.O.S.

The Great Diana (+ Ennoia; 2 works from The..., 1990

Sale Date: September 29, 2007

Auction Closed

The clouds II, 1994

Tim Rollins

The clouds II, 1994

Sale Date: September 10, 2007

Auction Closed

Study for Scarlet Letter (+ Study for..., 1993

Tim Rollins

Study for Scarlet Letter (+ Study for..., 1993

Sale Date: July 10, 2007

Auction Closed

The whiteness of the whale - Loomings, 1987–1988

Studio K.O.S.

The whiteness of the whale - Loomings, 1987–1988

Sale Date: July 10, 2007

Auction Closed

The frogs, 1997

Studio K.O.S.

The frogs, 1997

Sale Date: June 20, 2007

Auction Closed

Golden horn drawings from America Series, 1989

Studio K.O.S.

Golden horn drawings from America Series, 1989

Sale Date: June 2, 2007

Auction Closed

Golden horn drawings from America Series, 1989

Studio K.O.S.

Golden horn drawings from America Series, 1989

Sale Date: June 2, 2007

Auction Closed

Winterreisse - Die Nebensonnen, 1988–1989

Studio K.O.S.

Winterreisse - Die Nebensonnen, 1988–1989

Sale Date: June 2, 2007

Auction Closed

English (US)

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