Original Interactive Art
As the name suggests, the work is
a bitter-sweet account of the city’s
progress from virgin swampland to
modern metropolis. It covers fires,
disease, civil war, social division and
disastrous weather events, while also
celebrating the joyful traditions in
music, parading and the arts for which
it is famous.
Robins artwork is a doorway into the learning resources of The Historic New
Orleans Collection. Guided by the collection’s curators, British writer Cathy
Loughran interpreted the stories behind each element of the drawing.
These can be accessed on your cell phone or online at nola.simrey.com.
Each story links into the vaults of THNOC, providing access to supporting
documents, images and artefacts.
Born in Zimbabwe in 1952, Robin lives and works in England. His professional background is journalism and business communication. He worked at the BBC for 23 years and was latterly head of the BBC’s art, history and collections unit (BBC Heritage).
As a semi-professional draughtsman he produced pocket illustrations. Including a series of Dickens characters, for newspapers and magazines. And for a time he was a regular contributor to Popular Gardening magazine.
He had an exhibition of larger pieces in Luton in 1981, but for many years the demands of family life and work limited his activities as an artist. Though he created fantasy pieces for the amusement of friends. Now retired, he works full-time on images that have historic resonance for general and specific markets.
Included is a tricentennial panorama of New Orleans. The fantastical artwork is underpinned by a visual parade of imagery charting the progress of the city from swampland to modern metropolis. The work, compiled in collaboration with The Historic New Orleans Collection, is supported by an interactive guide developed by Robin’s brother Simon.
He has also produced a graphic history of the Tower of London. More exclusive exhibitions of Robins work are already being arranged for 2026.