Robert von Sternberg, 

         A Brother to be Proud of

     by Richard von Sternberg  January 2021

When I was a little boy, my brother, Robert von Sternberg, was a teenager.  I thought I knew him well the way I knew my way around my neighborhood until one day I got to see what was inside his head.  Armed with only a pencil, he had entered the walk-in closet in my bedroom and drawn – on the inside of the door -- a fishing boat, detailed as a photograph yet sketched like a work of art.  I was stunned by the lines, halyards, radio antenna, fishing gear, anchor, helm, elaborate nautical details, and the name: “Georgia Peach” lettered precisely onto the surface of the hull.  On that day I realized my brother was gifted as an artist.

 

I was the archetypal younger brother who looked up to my big brother with continual admiration, I was emulative, interested in anything that interested him, too young to have achieved the level of maturation and dominance of motor skills required to turn my emulation into gratifying similar behaviors and abilities.  In retrospect I realize he was so gifted in so many ways, and our ages were far enough apart, that effectively realizing my desire to be like him was destined to lead me to a brick wall.

 

He and our father had a relationship characterized by irreconcilable differences and, as a result, Robert was gone a lot.  He left home while still in his teen years and took up surfing.  We lived in a Southern California beach town (Hermosa Beach) where surfing was nascent as a sport, where only a handful of active participants in that sport were ever to be found on the beaches.  The explosion of interest still had not begun, the Beach Boys ensemble was still in the pretty distant future, surfboards were very long, heavy wooden objects and only the most skilled devotees of the new sport were able to control the unwieldy floating planks.

 

In short order surfing began to catch on and some gifted kids learned to maneuver their boards at will and ride the bountiful California waves as the pioneer gurus they apparently had the genes to become.  The making and selling of surfboards was a maverick profession, to say the least, and those who excelled there had few heroes to model themselves after.  One had to be part design engineer, part adventurer, part marketer and a devotee of the mastery of soaring along the face of a wave.  Just after the wave-riding phenomenon began to mesmerize Robert, skilled leaders in the craft started to emerge and offer lighter and more maneuverable surfboards. 

A boy who went to my high school carried a yo-yo with him everywhere he went and practiced constantly, learning to do uncanny tricks with his spinning wooden disk.  He worked at it with a passion unparalleled until he finally became the California state yo-yo champion.  This fellow was named Dewey Weber.  He lived on 35^th street.  We lived on 33^rd.  We watched him transfer his passion for the little spinning wooden disk to the solid, non-spinning wooden ocean object and become every bit as stunningly amazing as a surfer as a yo-yo champion.

 

Also in our neighborhood were Greg Noll and Hap Jacobs.  Robert became a surfer just as the golden age of surfboard shapers in Hermosa Beach and became friends with all three of the legendary surfers I have named.  

Surfing movies and surfing magazines exploded into existence and helped to establish surfing as an institution and heroes were created in the new media.  Robert, who was nicknamed “Smitty” in those days, began to appear in all the movies and all the magazines. He went to work for the great board makers and Dewey Weber was the best man at my brother’s wedding when he and Joanne Gilbert were married at the Wayfarer’s Chapel in Portuguese Bend, the glass chapel made famous by the wedding in 1958 of Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay.

 

I believe I was 10 or 11 when Robert was able to get me a surfboard from one of the companies he worked for and started my surfing compulsion.  For many years it was hard to think about much else beyond riding that perfect wave.  Inspired by Robert’s runaway success in that world, I surfed and surfed until I was able to enter the water, paddle out beyond the shore break, catch a wave, ride it, then “kick out” at the end of the ride and sit back down on my board without getting my hair wet.  Robert and I were both blessed by the Southern California culture during its golden age.

 

During the next great era of Robert’s life, junior college and state college pursuits became his life and the use of a camera transformed his life more than anything else I can remember.  Robert excelled in an astonishing way with anything that fascinated him, that sent his passions vibrating in return to the challenge afforded by the introduction of something highly complex he could master.

 

Robert's uncanny ability  to work with little light

One day while he was a student at Long Beach State, I visited him at his home in Seal Beach and saw some of his photographs for the first time.  It was an overwhelming experience, kind of shocking, to take in all that was the Gestalt of his works of art.  What I felt was the same feeling I got when I opened my closet door and found the Georgia Peach, except at a much deeper level.  Very early in his career as a photographer he had learned to point a camera toward the world and capture on film something that most people would miss.  

In the Spanish language they refer to such evidence of a deeper vision as “el no sé que,” which translates loosely as the I don’t know what.  A great artist swims in that muse, swirls about in it freely and spins off a reaction to it that, if it appeals, appeals at the deepest imaginable level.

 

Robert just got better and better and better at the art of photography and became a professor of the subject, an inspiration to his students and colleagues as his fame spread and began to influence the world of photography with the suprasegmental nature of his work, what you might think of as the intonation of his style.  

Many of his famous works are photographs taken in highly restricted lighting conditions at night that leave no details aside, works that, like famous feats of athletes, look easy to do until you try doing them yourself.

 

He could be that one person that went on a photography outing and seemed to see things that the best of them would miss and create a true work of fine art in his darkroom.

How far did he take this talent? Look at this list of exhibits that span the years.  It is very, very long.  I am including it not so that you can read every line, only so you can see how vast it is, how many places Robert’s art work has traveled.

 

 

Exhibitions

2014

The Faces of America, dnj Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, California

2014

Night in Day, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California

2014

Black & White Vintage Photographs, dnj Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, California

2014

Time Capsule: Recently Acquired Works From The 1970s and 1980s, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, California

2014

Valley Vista: Art in the San Fernando Valley Ca. 1970-1990, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California

2014

Recent Acquisitions, Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, Claremont, California

2013

Focal Points: American Photography Since 1950, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, Wisconsin

2013

Photo L.A., Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California
2013

“In Progress,” dnj Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, California

2013

See the Light- Photography, Perception, Cognition: The Marjorie and Leonard Vernon Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California

2012

The AIPAD Photography Show, The Armory, New York, New York

2012

Robert von Sternberg, Lee Gallery, Winchester, Massachusetts

2011

Jane O’Neal, Robert von Sternberg, dnj Gallery, Santa Monica, California
2011

Photo L.A., Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California

2011

Then and Now, dnj Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, California

2010

Continuum 2010, Sylvia White Gallery, Ventura, California, (guest curator)

2010

Continuum-A Re-Examination, Stephen Cohen Gallery, Los Angeles, California, (guest curator)

2008

The Silver See Portfolio, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

2008

Photographs, Blanden Art Museum, Fort Dodge, Iowa

2007

Edge, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California

Altered Landscapes, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California
2003

Carbon Ink Prints, Seven Ops Gallery, New York, New York

 

2001

Altered Landscapes, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California

2000

Perspectives of a Deaf Culture, Vista Community College, Berkeley, California

2000

Prophecies 2000, Ohlone College, Fremont, California

1999

Farewell to the Twentieth Century, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan

1999

Cancer & the Environment, Women’s Cancer Research Center, Berkeley, California
1998

The Future World, La Testata, Arezzo, Italy

1998

Smile, Smile, Smile, Riverside Station Gallery, Bechyne, Czech Republic

1998

Kid Companions: Children and their Best Friends, California State University, Chico, Chico, California

1998

Making Change- the Art of Social Protest, Solano Community College, Suisun, California

1998

Temporary Quarters, Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, California

1997

The Day the Music Died, Lubbock Fine Arts Center, Lubbock, Texas

1997

American Visions, California State University, Chico, Chico, California
1996

Fax Art, Memphis College of Art, Memphis, Tennessee

1996

Do Not Bend, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California

1996

Nothing But The Blues, College of South Idaho, Twin Falls, Idaho

1996

Hearts A’Fire, Sun Gallery, Hayward, California

1996

Hogs & Dogs, Treasure Valley Community College, Ontario, Oregon

1996

Art Faculty Exhibit, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California

1995

Reflections on Hiroshima and Nagasaka, Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, California
1994

Wish You Were Here…on Vacation in the USA, California State University, Chico, Chico, California

1994

Who’s Out There?, Patten College, Oakland, California

1994

In the Spirit of Fluxus, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California

1994

Exploitation, College, Oroville, California

1994

Ethnic Pride, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa

1994

Joan Miro: 100 Years, Centro Civico Social, Madrid, Spain

1993

What Do Women Want?, University of California Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, California
1993

Fairy Tales and Other Fantasies, University of Wisconsin, Waukesha, Wisconsin

1993

Crossing Borders, Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, California

1992

Water/Word, Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, North Carolina

1992

Moz-Art, Centro Civico Social, Madrid, Spain
1992

Old World – New World, Kent Arts Commission, Kent, Washington

1992

Double-Double, New Hampshire Art Association, Boscawen, New Hampshire

1990–1992

1 x 1, (a touring exhibition of pencil drawings, 1990-1992)

1991

Goodwill, Civic Gallery, Kherson, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

1991

Ten Years From 2000, Centro Insular de Cultura, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

1991

Photo Art ’91, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia

1991

Artists as Third Worlders, Glassboro State College, Glassboro, New Jersey
1991

Myth America, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota

1991

Myth America, Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota

1991

Myth America, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota

1990

Saturday Night, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

1990

Flower, Russell Sage College, Troy, New York
1990

Why Not?, Etna Studios, Etna, Pennsylvania

1990

Goodwill, Kent Arts Commission, Kent, Washington

1990

Expression/Opression: Global Awareness, Academy of Art College, San Francisco, California

1990

Mail Box Blues, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, Minnesota

 

1989

New Pictorialism and Family Snapshots, Butte College, Oroville, California

1989

“Art is Long, Life Short, Experience Deceiving”, Munson-Proctor Institute School of Art, Utica, New York

1989

Heros/Heroines, Glassboro State College, Glassboro, New Jersey
1989

Birthday Party, Kent Library, Kent, Washington

1989

Mail Art, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Tuscon, Arizona

1989

Nuclear Trash, Ohlone College, Fremont, California

1989

Obsession, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky

1989

The Future of North Dakota, Minot State University, Minot, North Dakota

1988

Pollution Solution, Rogers State College, Claremont, Oklahoma

1988

Fragments, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
1988

Picture Dictionary, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota

1988

Bedtime for Bonzo: Putting Reaganomics to Rest, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon

1988

Bodies of Water, Huntington Beach Municipal Art Gallery, Huntington Beach, California

1987

That’s What I Like About the West, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota

1987

Forbidden, New Zone Gallery, Eugene, Oregon

1987

Cows, Cowboys, and the American West, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, California

1987

Under the Ozone, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
1987

Allure of Lures, Appalacian Center for Crafts, Smithville, Tennessee

1987

Self Portrait, City of Kent Parks Department, Kent, Washington

1987

That’s What I Like About the West, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota

1987

Forbidden, New Zone Gallery, Eugene, Oregon

1987

Cows, Cowboys, and the American West, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, California

 

1987

Under the Ozone, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
1987

Allure of Lures, Appalacian Center for Crafts, Smithville, Tennessee

1987

Self Portrait, City of Kent Parks Department, Kent, Washington

1986

My Concept of Texas, Navarro College, Navarro, Texas

1986

Cleaning Out Your Drawers and/or the Back of the Closet, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

1986

My Old Kentucky Home, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky

1986

Post Impressions, Barbados Community College, Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies

1986

My Concept of Texas, Navarro College, Navarro, Texas
1986

Cleaning Out Your Drawers and/or the Back of the Closet, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

1986

My Old Kentucky Home, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky

1986

Post Impressions, Barbados Community College, Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies

1986

My Concept of Texas, Navarro College, Navarro, Texas

1986

Cleaning Out Your Drawers and/or the Back of the Closet, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

1986

My Old Kentucky Home, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky

1986

Post Impressions, Barbados Community College, Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies

1986

Watch Your Step, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia

1986

Art, Libraries, New York City, Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas

1986

Chairs in Art, New Zone Gallery, Eugene, Oregon

1986

Sluj International ‘86, Eastern Montana College, Billings, Montana
1986

Communication/Alternative Expressions 1986, Institute for Contemporary Art, Talahassee, Florida

1986

Son of Return of the 4x6 Show, Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York

1986

Post Impressions, Tortola Cultural Center, Tortola

1986

Post Impressions, Junior College of Albany, Albany, New York

1986

God, Man, Glamour, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

1986

Illusion in Art and Nature, Rogers State College, Claremont, Oklahoma

1986

Faculty Artists, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California
1984

Photographer’s Christmas Cards, California Museum of Photography, University of California

1984

Riverside, Riverside, California, 1984-1990, 1992

1984

ECHO, Diverse Works Gallery, Houston, Texas

1983

Alaskan Myths and Legends, City Borough of Juneau Museum, Juneau, Alaska

1983

Alaskan Myths and Legends, Ketchikan Arts and Humanities Council, Ketchikan, Alaska

1982

Art Through the Lens, Pierce College, Woodland Hills, California

1982

Mystery at Black Mountain, SUNY, Buffalo, New York
1981

Illusion and Reality, of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisconsin

1981

Black Mountain College Postal Show, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York

1981

Second Annual Trash and Treasure Exhibit, Pomona College, Claremont, California

1981

Homage to Bern Porter, La Galeria dell’ Occhio, New York, New York

1981

Pet Dreams, Street Skates Gallery, Dallas, Texas

1980–1981

Los Angeles Looks at Itself: Contemporary Photographs, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (a touring exhibition within Los Angeles County funded by the California Arts Council, 1980-1981) 

1980

Photo-Silkscreen, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, California

1979

Space in Two Dimensions, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas

1979

The Postman Always Rings Twice, Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, California

1978

L.A. 7, Palos Verdes Art Center, Palos Verdes, California, (guest curator)

1978

Selections from the Permanent Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California

1978

Auction 1, Neary Institute, Santa Cruz, California

1978

Exhibit and Print Auction, BC Space, Laguna Beach, California
1977

Twelve Los Angeles Photographers, Texas Woman’s University Art Gallery, Denton, Texas, (guest curator)

1977

The Intimate Object, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California

1977

Silver See, Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California

1976

Premeditated Fantasy, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado (guest curator)

1976

Exposing: Photographic Definitions, Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California

1975

First Annual Photography Exhibit, Laguna Beach Museum of Art, Laguna Beach, California

1975

Refocus, University of Iowa Art Museum, Iowa City, Iowa
1975

First Light, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California

1975

Silver Seventies, University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon, (guest curator)

1975

Los Angeles Perspectives, Secession Gallery, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, (guest curator)

1975

Seven Photographers, Ross-Freeman Gallery, Northridge, California

1975

Photographer Redefined, Pierce College, Woodland Hills, California

1975

Contemporary Emotions, Comsky Gallery, Beverly Hills, California

1975

Artists Choice, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California, (selections consultant) 

1975

Selections from First Light, Focus Gallery, San Francisco, California

1975

Annual Benefit and Sale, Camerawork Gallery, San Francisco, California

1974

Recent Acquisitions, Camerawork Soho Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1974

Erotica, Lamkin Camerawork Gallery, Fairfax, California

1974

Recent Acquisitions, University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico

1974

Photo Post Card Exhibit, Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, California

1974

Photography 1974-Added Dimension, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California

1974

Photography 1974-Added Dimension, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California

1974

Photographics, Shop City Gallery, Fullerton, California

1973

24 From L.A., San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, California

1973

Photography Into Art, Scottish Arts Council Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

1973

Photography Into Art, Strathclyde University Museum, Glasgow, Scotland

1973

Collectors and Collections, Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, California
1973

Non Silver, Friends of Photography Gallery, Carmel, California

1973

Carolyn Utter Rosser, Jewelry, Robert von Sternberg, Photographs, Bakersfield College, Bakersfield, California

1973

Emulsion ‘73, Civic Arts Gallery, Walnut Creek, California

1972

Survey of Southern California Photography, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California

1972

Contemporary Photography, Sheldon Museum of Art, Lincoln, Nebraska
1972

Gum Bichromate, Robert von Sternberg, Witkin Gallery, New York, New York

1972

New Works by the Faculty, California State University, Northridge, California

1972

Photography Into Art, British Arts Council, Bath, England

1972

Photography Into Art, Camden Arts Centre, London, England

1972

Photography Into Art, Spectro Arts Workshop, Whitley Bay, England

1971

California Photographers, Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, California

1971

Three Photographers, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
1971

Gum, Ohio Silver Gallery, Los Angeles, California

1971

Photomedia, California State University, San Diego, San Diego, California

 

 

1971 

Los Angeles Photography, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California, (guest curator)

1970

Continuum, Downey Museum of Art, Downey, California (guest curator)

1970

The City of Man, Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

1970

Balboa and the Fun Zone, Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, California (museum commission)

1970

The New People, Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, California
1968–1970

An Ecology in Peril, California State University, Long Beach, California

1969

Art Unlimited, Downey Museum of Art, Downey, California

1969

Robert von Sternberg, Recent Photographs, Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, California, (solo)

1967

Photographs, Robert von Sternberg, Semansko Gallery, Seal Beach, California

 

 

 

Here is a link to his web site where you can learn more.  You can google his name and become inundated with great photographs and information.

 

www.robertvonsternberg.com

 

His works are in galleries and universities as permanent exhibits all over.  I could not possibly be more proud of my artist brother, who, apart from his masterly contributions to the world of art, shoots the curl and hangs ten on a surfboard, than I am.

COMMENTS RECEIVED IN ADDITION TO ONES POSTED DIRECTLY

Thanks for sharing! A wonderful artist!

All best,  Dianne

Nice story and pictures. When I was about 16 or 17 me and a couple of friends borrowed a surf board to go give surfing a try. We went to Linda Mar beach in Pacifica. Every time we would enter the water, the first waves we would come to were picking up rocks and hitting us with the rocks. I don't mean sand, rocks, marble size or larger. We never got past the first wave to try and surf. The next day we drove to Santa Cruz to try again there. Things were much better water wise in Santa Cruz. We would take turns going out and trying to get up and then pass the board to another guy. On my third try I almost got to my knees before the wave went over me but I felt like I was starting to figure it out. The next time I went out before I could get ready for a wave , I suddenly felt a burning feeling on my right calf and while trying to see why I felt that I suddenly get the same burning feeling on my right forearm. I then noticed that the water was becoming loaded with Jellyfish. I was able to get out of the water with only one more welt, this one, on my left hand. That was the end of our attempt to surf. 

Hope you're well Richard. Take care, stay safe. Wayne

Hi Richard,

You continue to astonish me with your writing prowess, and now I learn that there is another amazing artist in your family.  I especially enjoyed this story, probably because it was so personal, and made me think of my late older brother, somebody I also looked up to though not as talented.  It was interesting to hear about the birth of surf culture in California, and how you & your brother were right there with the pioneers.   My memory was like many with watching Endless Summer back in the 60's, but I didn't realize that there was so much that came before.  It's so great that you and your brother were so involved in that early part of surfing history, and I didn't realize you were a surfer.  You are a man of many talents Richard.  Thanks, as always, for sharing your writing.

Best,   Joe

Wow Richard! It always amazes me when I get to read something you’ve wrote. Specifically the fact that you have a knack for telling a story in a simple flowing easy to read way. Not to imply that your writing is simple, but that it’s captivating and easy to read. We have similar childhood backgrounds in that I was raised in Ventura at the beach surfing. My uncle lives in Manhattan Beach and I was down there quite often. Oh how I love the SoCal Weather and water. Your brother is truly a unique and amazing individual, and your writing is an awesome tribute to him. Looking forward to read whatever comes out of you next! Regards,   Brian

I loved it, thank you for sharing.

Best,   Bijan

Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 

How wonderful to be swept up in your wave of memories- beyond the reef of turmoil we find ourselves in these days! We could all use time at a sparsely populated beach and a ride on a perfect curl.

Fondly,  Laurie

Just viewed your brother's photos. Talk about a keen eye! Thanks again. You have been blessed to have an elder brother and one so gifted.      Barry

Enjoyed article and sent to my surfer son—converted skier at a later age when he became a Californian, even though a native Montanan.Now he is a fanatic surfer at the age of 39. Also, thought I should write about my ten year older sister who was like a second mother to me. Touching tribute to your brother. Have been renting in Novato this winter but leaning to buying in AZ due to taxes and high prices and HOA’s for not much of a condo. Thanks for your listings.    Barbara

Thank you for sending this!  An additional dimension to you.  Beautiful photographs!   Carmen

Richard,

Were your parents brilliant scientists? You and your brother are both pretty interesting people.

I loved the slideshow of Robert’s photos. They’re beautiful and mystical.        Janis

What an amazing brother !!             Steve and Barbara

Richard!

This is why I always click on your emails: 

They’re always interesting! Whether about geology, real estate, or whatever. 

This piece about your brother is very touching, personal and vivid. 

Even though I have an older sister instead of an older brother, and I only recently learned to stand up on a board in Hawaii, I dig your story, your verve and your inclinations to share these things with us...

Cheers                                          Laurent

Richard, A pleasure to read about your gifted and talented brother. His eye for light and darkness…the contrast between the two is exquisite. I would add that your are just a s talented in a different and make a difference way….we all strive to make our mark in this world….and I would say you do.

Thanks.           Renee