“Unveiling Elegance: Robert Farber’s Iconic Fashion Photography Exhibition Spotlights Dual Masterpieces for the First Time”

Posted January 16, 2025

Image on the right: Robert Farber, Empire Diner, 1979/2017. Sublimated image on ChromaLuxe aluminum, 40 x 60 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

The Vero Beach Museum of Art is excited to showcase Timeless: Robert Farber’s Fashion Photography on display in the Stark Gallery from February 10 through August 31, 2025. This unique exhibition is organized by the Vero Beach Museum of Art’s Chief Curator, Caitlin Swindell.

Robert Farber (b. 1944) is an esteemed photographer whose career, spanning five decades, encompasses both commercial and fine art photography. His expansive portfolio encompasses a variety of subjects including fashion, portraiture, still life, and landscapes captured across the globe. This exhibition comprises two of his fashion-related series: “Vintage Fashion,” mostly derived from his commercial endeavors, and “Deterioration,” a collection of fashion images altered through the natural aging of their film transparencies. Over time, factors such as heat and humidity caused chemical reactions in the film, resulting in striking, surreal distortions that endow the images with an unforeseen, nearly ethereal quality.

A self-taught artist, Farber embarked on his photographic journey in New York City during the 1970s. Since that time, his work has been featured in prominent publications such as Vogue, GQ, Elle, and Vanity Fair. He has captured numerous editorial advertisements and commercials for significant brands and corporations including Christian Dior, Bill Blass, Revlon, Bloomingdale’s, Marshall Fields, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Farber photographed some of the most legendary models of his era, including Gia Carangi (often regarded as the first supermodel), Janice Dickinson, Apollonia van Ravenstein, Iman, Beverly Johnson, Carol Alt, Christie Brinkley, and Linda Evangelista. Many of these models are represented in the works presented in the exhibition, although in some instances, the aging of the original film has obscured or modified their features, converting the images into abstract representations of fashion and beauty.

Timeless unites these two fashion-centric series for the first time in a museum exhibition, highlighting the scope of Farber’s contributions to this genre. The show emphasizes his artistic vision, his collaborations with models and brands, and his capacity to reflect on the passage of time—be it by referencing historical styles or permitting time itself to influence the final artwork. The exhibition provides a distinctive viewpoint on the intersection of Farber’s artistic and commercial endeavors, investigating the enduring significance of his influence on the realm of fashion photography.