Remembering Robert Redford, the Hollywood star with the sensibility of a struggling painter

"Best known to global audiences for roles in films including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men, Redford's performances and persona embodied America's self-image in the superpower decades after the Second World War. As a leading man he was principled and rugged, often compromised, always restless for change, and sometimes necessarily violent. But before Hollywood brought him fame, Redford's first ambition was to be a painter."

"He later travelled through Europe, spending time in Florence before enrolling at the Académie Julian, a prestigious 19th-century Paris art school that has attracted generations of international students. Back in the United States, he continued his studies at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he later described his attempts to refine his draughtsmanship and absorb the techniques of modern American painting. In interviews, he recalled being "very serious" about becoming an artist, before slowly conceding to the pull of acting."

Robert Redford died in his sleep at age 89 at his home in Sundance, Utah, surrounded by loved ones. He gained global renown for roles such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men. His screen persona combined principled ruggedness, restlessness for change, and occasional necessary violence. Early ambitions focused on painting, with studies at the University of Colorado, travel in Florence, the Académie Julian, and the Pratt Institute. Visual-art training shaped his gestural acting and his exacting eye as a director. He later became a noted collector and founded the Sundance Institute as a cultural philanthropist.

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