Robert Glick, the cigar bands artist, is a lawyer originally from New York –where he has practiced his profession for more than three decades–, and a cigar aficionado who years ago began collecting the bands from every cigar he smoked. But unlike those who practice Vitolphily, who treasure them for their age, rarity or origin, there came a time when he didn’t know what to do with them, until he realized that he could use them to make sought after art designs and cigar accessories.
Robert explains that his collection of cigar bands are like paint, although in his art he tries to use them not only as a color palette, but as a tool to highlight key aspects or specific focal points of his designs, creating a symbiotic pairing between each connecting shape.
During the Procigar 2024 Festival, he was the artist selected to design the cover of the cigar box given as a gift during the White Night. The original artwork was then integrated into a one-of-a-kind humidor manufactured by HumidifGroup, auctioned off at the Gala Night to the highest bidder at $45,000.00, to benefit different Dominican charity organizations that support those who need it the most. It was a reinterpretation of the Procigar event logo, based on the cigar bands of each of the factories represented by the members of the Association.
For Robert, his artwork has never been about the money, because as a young boy his father constantly instilled in him that “It is always better to give than to receive”; words bespeak why a large part of his income from his art is allocated to charity.
After five years of regular trips to the Dominican Republic, Robert describes the tobacco industry as a big family, filled with love and opened arms that welcomed him from day one and continue to support his altruistic and artistic work to this day.
In addition, Robert has his own cigar brand: Kinship Cigars, with two lines of Negro San Andrés and Habano 2000 wrapper cigars. The San Andrés received a rating of 90 in January, and the Habano 2000 received a rating of 90 in the current edition of Cigar Journal Magazine.
For more information, to commission a work, or to purchase an existing piece, you can scan the QR code below, or contact Robert directly at his mobile 1-516-728-4455.
