Researching Robert Irwin

He began his career as a painter in the 1950s, but in the 1960s shifted to installation work, becoming a pioneer whose work helped to define the aesthetics and conceptual issues of the West Coast Light and Space movement. His early works often employed light and veils of scrim to transform gallery and museum spaces, but since 1975, he has also incorporated landscape projects into his practice. Irwin has conceived over fifty-five site-specific projects, at institutions including the Getty Center (1992–98), Dia:Beacon (1999–2003), and the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas (2001–16). The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles mounted the first retrospective of his work in 1993; in 2008, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego presented another, spanning fifty years in his career. Irwin received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1976, a MacArthur Fellowship in March, 1984, and was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2007. He lives and works in San Diego, California.

One of his victims, Veronica "Ronnie" Gedeon, was a model who often appeared in seductive pulp magazine pictures. The crime, its investigation, Irwin's arrest, and the resulting court proceedings were heavily media publicized, often with eye-catching photos of Gedeon and headlines describing Irwin as the "mad sculptor." Veronica Gedeon left behind a portfolio of sexy photos that in retrospect, had no relevance to the crime, its cause, or Irwin's responsibility for it. However, that coincidence kept the story on front pages of newspapers around the country for months, and that publicity ultimately helped to bring Irwin into custody.

Irwin's prosecution, which ended through a plea-p bargain that kept him incarcerated for life, renewed debate about the use and scope of New York State's version of the insanity defense. Once sentenced, Irwin was deemed "definitely insane" by state psychiatrists. He spent the rest of his life in secure mental institutions.

Harold Schechter's 2014 book The Mad Sculptor tells Irwin's life story.

Prior to entering the senate, Irwin commanded the Mecklenburg County Regiment of the Salisbury District, North Carolina militia, rising to the rank of a colonel and commandant of the 1st Mecklenburg County Regiment (Est. 1775, split into 1st & 2nd regiments 1780, and disestablished in 1783). He commanded the regiment while fighting strategically against Loyalists militia forces beside South Carolina patriot militia General Thomas Sumter at the Battle of Rocky Mount. Later, the two again fought to victory together against loyalist provisional units and militia (while heavily outnumbered) at the Battle of Hanging Rock. Irwin is reported to have been a signer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. Colonel Irwin was of the Presbyterian faith.

Irwin hosts Robert's Real Life Adventures, a program on his family zoo's internal TV network. He co-hosted the Discovery Kids Channel TV series Wild But True and co-created the book series Robert Irwin: Dinosaur Hunter. He currently stars on the Animal Planet series Crikey! It's the Irwins with his mother, Terri, and sister, Bindi.

Irwin works at the Australia Zoo, where he is involved in activities that Steve originally did, such as wrestling crocodiles, handling snakes and feeding the zoo's animals.