About Robert Adler

Robert Adler’s love of photography began as a child when he started to take pictures of his surroundings with a Brownie Holiday camera. By age 11 he had built his own darkroom and learned the fundamentals of processing and printing Black and White photographs. Later, in college his classes in communications rekindled his photography flame.  He picked up the camera again and began a career as a photographer that has lasted over 30 years.

After graduating from Temple University, Robert traveled throughout Europe and on returning home to Philadelphia, he got his professional start working as an assistant in a large commercial photography studio. After leaving that job, he began freelancing as a  photojournalist and a commercial corporate photographer which he continues to do up to the present time.

 

In 1974, Robert had a chance opportunity to photograph the strippers who worked at the landmark Philadelphia Burlesque Theater, The Troc. These were the last days of burlesque and the series, Burlesque has been published as a book,  won awards and has been exhibited both in the U.S. and internationally. 

 

The experience of working with the women at the Troc, deeply affected him and created a desire to explore and document the sexual underground which inspires Robert to this day.

 

In the intervening years, Robert has had numerous exhibitions of his work and his photographs have been reproduced in books and magazines both here and abroad. Prints from the Burlesque series are in the permanent collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum in Las Vegas Nevada.

Robert lives and works in San Francisco.

 

Major Exhibitions
1976         AIGA Juried Photography Exhibition - New York, NY

2001        Group Exhibition - Club 181 – San Francisco CA

2003       Paris Photo – Louvre Museum, Paris France - Represented  by Galerie 1900-2000 

2004       Group Exhibition – Shooting Gallery - San Francisco CA  

2008       Solo Exhibition – Hyde Street Gallery –San Francisco CA

2012        Group Exhibition - Photo Art Gallery - Oakland CA

2014        Group Exhibition - Photo Independent - Coagula Curatorial - Los Angeles CA

2015        Group Exhibition - EMS NUDE SURVEY 1 - Jamie Brooks Gallery - Costa Mesa CA

2018        Group Exhibition - Something Personal - American Photographic Artists - San Francisco CA

2019        Group Exhibition - Something Personal - American Photographic Artists - San Francisco CA

 

Collections
Prints from the Burlesque series are in the permanent collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum in Las Vegas Nevada

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Bibliography
1995         SAN FRANCISCO NUDE, Seibundo  Shinkosha

2004       BURLESQUE,  Catapult Books

2011         THE NEW EROTIC PHOTOGRAPHY, Taschen

2017         DUNGEON GODDESSES, Catapult Books