Robert Stiegler
Robert Stiegler was a Chicago filmmaker and photographer, whose work grew out of the approaches to photography and design taught at the Institute of Design in the 1960s and 1970s. Stiegler received his Bachelor's degree in 1960 and his Master's degree in 1970 from ID, where he studied under Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind and was part of a group of students that included Barbara Crane, Kenneth Josephson, Tom Rago, and Richard Nickel. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the George Eastman House, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and the University of Illinois Chicago. His films Traffic, Capitulation, Licht Spiel Nur 1, and Full Circle are housed at the Chicago Film Archives.
Biography
Robert Stiegler lived in Chicago his entire life as a photographer and filmmaker. During his artistic career he became best known for his street documentation, nature photography, positive and negative abstractions, and films.Stiegler studied with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind from 1956-1960 at the Institute of Design, as well as working for other Chicago photographers such as Vince Maselli, and Morton Goldsholl Design Associates in the early 1960s.
In 1966, Stiegler took a professorship at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There, he headed the Photography Department, becoming a key figure in establishing the program that exists today. Stiegler taught at the university until his death in 1990.
Photography career
Stiegler received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council.Gallery 400 at the University of Illinois at Chicago mounted a retrospective of his work in 1992. Stiegler's work was included in an exhibition of more than fifty photographs by students of ID professors Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind at Stephen Daiter Gallery in 2010. Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago exhibited his work Chicago, 1974, alongside other Chicago photographers, and filmmakers during the CITY SELF exhibition in 2014. The California Museum of Photography showcased a retrospective of photography in Chicago in honor of Charles Desmarais in 2016. The exhibition, The Chicago Gift Revisited, displayed Stiegler’s work with pieces from twenty-two other Chicago-based photographers. Stiegler's work was showcased at Art Basel in 2017, represented by the Corbett vs. Dempsey.
The Library of Congress holds Stiegler's photograph State Street, Chicago in its collection. Pieces in the AIC collection include Chicago Circus, Temple of Amon, Luxor Eg., Untitled, and Untitled,.
Film career
Robert Stiegler’s practice included both photography and filmmaking. During his time at Institute of Design he experimented with film, creating multiple works exploring abstraction, and negative exposure.Out of the Vault: Robert Stiegler – Light Play, showcased a collection of his film works including Traffic, Capitulation, Licht Spiel Nur, Full Circle. Each work was shown on 16mm film. This program of films highlights the influence of Moholy-Nagy’s teachings on his work, in particular his use of light and interest in formal experimentation.
Exhibition history
| Gallery | Title | Date | |
| Art Basel, Miami Beach, FL | 2017 | - | |
| California Museum of Photography, Riverside, CA | The Chicago Gift Revisited | 2016 | - |
| Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Chicago, IL | CITY SELF | 2014 | - |
| Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago, IL | Passing the Torch: The Chicago Students of Callahan and Siskind | 2010 | - |
| Gallery 400, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL | Robert Stiegler Retrospective | 1992 | - |
| Museum of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA | 1987 | - | |
| The Photography Gallery, Hurst, TX | 1984 | - | |
| Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College, Chicago, IL | 1983 | - | |
| University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR | 1979 | - | |
| Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL | 1978 | - | |
| Cincinnati Art Academy, Cincinnati, OH | 1978 | - | |
| Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL | Recent Photographs: U.S.A and England, University of Illinois at Chicago | 1977 | - |
| Lightfall Gallery of Photography, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL | 1973 | - | |
| Gallery 500, Chicago, IL | 1967 | - |
Film showings
| Gallery | Date | |
| Out of the Vault: Robert Stiegler – Light Play, Chicago Filmmakers, Chicago, IL | 2018 | |
| Prospectives on Peace, ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL | 1989 | |
| The Gallery of Modern Art, New York, NY, University of North Carolina, St Louis University of New York, State University of New York, Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL | 1971 | |
| De Paul University, Chicago, IL, Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, Rosner Gallery, Chicago, IL, Live From Chicago Gallery, The Clark Theatre, Chicago, IL, Milton College, Carnegie Tech, Pittsburgh, PA, University of Massachusetts, University of Oregon, Kendall College, Evanston, IL | 1968 | |
| Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL, Alumni Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL, Aardvark Cinemtheque, Chicago, IL, Kovler Gallery, Chicago, IL, 3 Penny Cinema, Chicago, IL, P.A.C. Gallery, Chicago, IL, Second City, Chicago, IL | 1967 | |
| The Analyst Theatre, Denver CO, The Depot, Champaign, IL | 1966 | |
| Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago IL | 1963 | |
| Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago IL | 1962 | |
| First International Film Festival, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, Films have been shown on pUblic Television in Chicago | 1961 |