Robert Markey was  born  in New York in 1947.  He earned his B.S. in physics from M.I.T in 1969 and his M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts in 1982.  Until 1980 his main focus was music, performing on classical guitar and  sitar. In 1981 he began to work in the visual arts and also began his study  of  Tae Kwon Do.  For the past twenty five years those two disciplines have been at the center of his life. He has traveled extensively, working , studying and teaching in Japan, India, Europe, Central and South America.

Robert works in several media including painting, sculpture, installation,video and mosaics.  He has  done public art projects in cities around the country including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston and Minneapolis.   His first video was aired on PBS,  and he received national media coverage for his public performance work on domestic violence. He is represented by the Elaine Beckwith Gallery in Jamaica VT  and the Tappan Z Gallery in Tarytown NY.

He currently works out of his studio in Ashfield, Massachusetts.