Moving to London in 1980 he began working as a freelance photographer for music and fashion publications Sounds, NME, Blitz, The Face moving on to working regularly for pioneering Independent Magazine photographing amongst others Alec Guinness, Oliver Reed, Johnny Depp, Lou Reed, Hugh Grant and Sir Peter Hall.
In 2007 he curated and hosted the controversial first showing of Pete Doherty Blood Paintings[2] to coincide with the publication of his autobiography, Books of Albion.
Robin Barton purports to be a specialist in Banksy's work, featuring in Will Ellsworth-Jones' book The Man Behind the Wall.
Earlier in 2014 Robin Barton and Bankrobber London were involved in the preservation of Banksy's Spy Booth in Cheltenham[5] In late 2014, Barton was responsible for the removal and sale of Banksy's Art Buff,[6] and putting it up for auction in aid of a cancer charity set up in memory of Jimmy Godden.
Art Buff was returned to the Creative Foundation in Folkestone and was resited outside the Kollective gallery on The Old High Street.