Robert A. Pruitt received a BA in studio art from Texas Southern University, Houston, in 2000 and an MFA with a concentration in painting from the University of Texas, Austin, in 2003.
Pruitt has exhibited his work locally, nationally, and internationally, most notably at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Contemporary Arts Museum Houston; Dallas Museum of Art, TX; Whitney Museum of American Art 2007 Biennial and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York City.
Pruitt has participated in residencies at institutions including Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, ME; Artpace San Antonio, TX; Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia; and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, NE. He has received numerous awards including the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award, Joan Mitchell Foundation Artist Grant, Artadia Award, a project grant from Creative Capital, and the William H. Johnson Foundation for the Arts Award
Pruitt's practice centers on rendering large-scale figurative portraits. He projects into those images a juxtaposing series of experiences and material references, denoting a diverse and radical Black past, present, and future. He also works with sculpture and animation.
Pruitt lives and works in New York City.
—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives records