Robert Bergman: Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Judith Dobrzynski, a writer for the Wall Street Journal, writes: Every now and then, the art world offers up an unlikely story, and Robert Bergman's is one of them. The 65-year-old photographer went his own way over the past four decades, never selling a work until two years ago, but he nevertheless is about to burst onto the scene with two museum exhibitions this month. One is at the prestigious, conservative National Gallery of Art in Washington. The other is at P.S.1 in Queens, the adventurous branch of the Museum of Modern Art. And next month he will have his first show at a commercial gallery, Yossi Milo in Chelsea.

For those who believe that all good things come to those who wait, this is quite a story. Ms. Dobrzynski's article in the Wall Street Journal, describes a man, born in 1944 in New Orleans and raised in Minneapolis, that pursued his photographic vision outside of the art or photography arena. After discovering Robert Frank's "The Americans", he focused his attention on ordinary people,
"what was so breathtaking about Frank was that his work proved that the main thing one needed was a personal vision, and the main thing one needed to serve that vision was intuition and feeling."

After years of feeling that his work was not what the art world wanted, he started working with color film, and in 1985, his work became more personal and powerful. He traveled around the country looking for subjects, taking portraits on the spur of the moment. In the early '90's, Bergman began to approach critics and curators, and slowly he found support. It's ironic that both museum exhibitions came about independent of each other.

John Yau of the Brooklyn Rail, has a terrific interview with Mr. Bergman.

My favorite quote from Mr. Bergman is:
We must resist academia as artists. We really must. When Matisse was near death a young man visited him and as he turned to leave Matisse said, “Remember one thing: guard your naiveté. Some day young man, that’s going to be all you’ve got. And now I’m packing my bags for the next world.”

Images courtesy of The National Gallery
Robert Bergman Untitled, 1989

Robert Bergman Untitled, 1987

Robert Bergman Untitled, 1990

Robert Bergman Untitled, 1990

Robert Bergman Untitled, 1989

Robert Bergman Untitled, 1990

Robert Bergman Untitled, 1994

Robert Bergman Untitled, 1990

Robert Bergman Untitled, 1991

Robert Bergman Untitled, 1990

Robert Bergman Untitled, 1989

Robert Bergman Untitled, 1987