Mention "paint-by-numbers" to anyone spanning 3 generations and 9 out of 10 will know what you are talking about. Dan Robbins might well be the most widely exhibited artist who has ever lived. Literally hundreds of thousands or even millions of his designs were bought and painted by an enthusiastic art starved public, bewildered by the works of Pollack, Kline and Warhol.

The demand for paint by numbers exploded in the mid 50's with the Palmer Paint Company producing more than 12 million sets, helping to make paint by numbers the "Fad of the 50's."

Today, Robbins is being re-discovered in a whole different context. His early images, painted with varying degrees of precision by their original owners have become collectible icons of the genre. His historical importance in the development of contemporary art has been recognized as a major contribution to our cultural heritage.

His book, "Whatever Happened to Paint by Numbers?" is a wonderful humorous account of what it took to bring a simple idea from near failure to a national craze. He continues to make personal appearances as a guest speaker. Dan has appeared on ABC Good Morning America, CBS Sunday Morning and narrated a Public Television presentation on Paint by Numbers (a 30-minute a/v cassette is available for rental or purchase). Numerous newspaper and magazine articles have been written about him. He is no stranger to the art scene, getting more and more familiar with it all the time.

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