Robert Heindel (born 1938; Ohion, USA)
Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1938, he was drawing and painting from an early age.

In 1958 he married Rosalie Petres, his high school sweetheart, who was to remain a major inspiration and support throughout his artistic career. Most of his works carry a tiny rose in dedication to her. In 1966, the couple was given tickets to see Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev perform ?Paradise Lost,? an evening that changed the course of his life. Thereafter the ballet would be his focus.

Mr. Heindel's initial paintings of individual dancers eventually led to close associations with well-known dance companies in the United States, among them the San Francisco Ballet, the Atlanta Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre. His intensely personal studies often capture the private moment - the dancer in repose, the dancer at the barre, the dancer in rehearsal. Mr. Heindel's painting style evolved over the years. Although one usually associates his work with lush color, sensuous form, and subtle lighting, many of his later paintings are strong abstract statements, sometimes dark and enigmatic.

His international success was founded on his first major exhibition in London in 1985, titled ?Obsession of Dance,? which was attended by Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowden. Numerous exhibitions in London followed, winning him widespread acclaim throughout Europe. The late Diana, Princess of Wales, an admirer of his art, once wrote to him, ?Experts hold your work in the highest regard, I know, but for me it simply succeeds in capturing the spirit of dance as art.? In the 1990s he expanded his artistic horizons by accepting a commission to design sets and costumes for David Bintley's ?The Dancehouse.? He also painted, at the invitation of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, scenes from the stage performances of ?Cats? and ?The Phantom of the Opera,? the posters for which have since become classics.

By the early 1990s, Mr. Heindel was showing in Tokyo, having gained the attention of His Imperial Highness Prince Norihito Takamado. Since then he has exhibited in Japan almost annually. Reflecting his mastery of diverse art forms, Mr. Heindel painted vibrant images of the traditional Noh and Kabuki theaters in addition to those of avant-garde dance groups.

His paintings hang in London's National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. Collectors of his work have included Princess Diana, Princess Margaret, Prince Takamado, Princess Caroline of Monaco, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Anthony Dowell, Michael Crawford, George Lucas, Harold Prince, and David Bintley.