REPRESENTED ARTIST
About Bob
In 1983, Bob Kolbrener was granted permission from the Federal Government to photograph the entire Alcatraz Island during its Fiftieth Anniversary as a Federal Penitentiary. Bob Kolbrener esteems 'straight' photography. In his commitment to achieving this he goes out into the landscape as a prepared mind, often reacting quickly to make compositions in response to the fast-changing light and weather events in places of swirling character, such as Yosemite National Park. His photographs are made on film with two medium 2 1/4" and large format 8x10" cameras and tripod, and forgo any enhancement or modern photo-editing to either negative or print. Since 1996 Bob Kolbrener and wife Sharon have resided in the Carmel Highlands on the California coastline, where he continues to take photographs as well as making his own prints in his studio darkroom.
Artist Colection: Bob-kolbrener
Gallery
Bob Kolbrener first experienced the work of Ansel Adams on a trip to California in 1968 and has spent his photographic career exploring the American West since then. In 1973, he joined the Ansel Adams Workshop as an instructor and worked beside photographers Wynn Bullock, Imogen Cunningham, and Yousuf Karsh.
"I look for something that excites me, generally these are short-term weather-related situations which require me to make decisions asap - which lens, which filter to use while trying to organize the composition and visualize the finished print for tonal values. There is no time to waste because the situation in front of me is changing so quickly. After I find the subject which is of interest, I then try to implement Edward Weston's concept of 'seeing plus'. This simply means that I need to find some way of presenting the subject that raises the bar, since everything on this planet has been photographed already, then the GREAT photograph is one that goes beyond the literal. It is a real challenge to succeed and I concur with Edward Weston's concept of 'significant presentation'
Bob Kolbrener
REPRESENTED ARTIST
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Education
1963 Attended Washington University – St. Louis, MO
Selected Solo Exhibitions
1975:
Martin Schweig Gallery – St. Louis, MO
Bob Kolbrener: Black and White Photographs
Monterey Museum of Art – Monterey, CA
Bob Kolbrener: Black and White Photographs
1978
Fontbonne College – St. Louis, MO
Bob Kolbrener: Black and White Photographs
1979
Hunter Museum – Chattanooga, TN
Bob Kolbrener: Black and White Photographs
Borne ́ Gallery – St. Louis, MO
Bob Kolbrener: Black and White Photographs
1981
The Greenberg Gallery – St. Louis, MO
Bob Kolbrener: Autographs
1982
Creve Coeur Gallery – St. Louis, MO
Bob Kolbrener: Autographs
1985
Martin Schweig Gallery – St. Louis, MO
Bob Kolbrener: From the West . . . People, Places, Other Encounters
1987
Martin Schweig Gallery – St. Louis, MO
Bob Kolbrener Photographs: From the Sublime . . .
1988
Camelback Gallery – Phoenix, AR
Bob Kolbrener: Black and White Photographs
1989
Martin Schweig Gallery – St. Louis, MO
Bob Kolbrener: From the West – A New Crop
1991
Martin Schweig Gallery – St. Louis, MO
Bob Kolbrener: 100th Anniversary of Yosemite National Park
1992
Toneri Gallery – Sun Valley, ID
Bob Kolbrener: Black and White Photographs
1993
The Saint Louis Art Museum – St. Louis, MO
Bob Kolbrener Photographs: Twenty-Five Years in the American West
1994
Locus Gallery – St. Louis, MO
Bob Kolbrener: Studio Portraits
2000
Solo Exhibition: Large Scale Black and White Photographs
Bob Kolbrener Photography
The Highlands Inn – Carmel, CA
Bob Kolbrener: To Eradicate Ennui – Large Scale Black and White Photographs
2002
SoHo Triad Fine Arts – New York City, NY
Kolbrener’s Yosemite
2003
Louis Stern Fine Arts – West Hollywood, CA
Kolbrener’s Yosemite
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Yosemite National Park, CA
Kolbrener’s Yosemite
Fay Gold Gallery – Atlanta, GA
Bob Kolbrener: Photographs in the Tradition of Ansel Adams
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Carmel, CA
Solo Exhibition: Large Scale Black and White Photographs
2007
Fireside Gallery, Highlands Inn – Carmel, CA
Bob Kolbrener: Master Photographer
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Yosemite National Park, CA
Bob Kolbrener: From the Mountains to the Sea
2008
Fireside Gallery, Highlands Inn - Carmel, CA
Bob Kolbrener: From the Mountains to the Sea
Metro Art Gallery – Hong Kong
Bob Kolbrener – Master Photographer
2010
Lumiére Gallery of Photography – Atlanta, GA
Picturing the West: Photography by Bob Kolbrener
The Highlands Inn – Carmel, CA
Bob Kolbrener: Seeing the Sea
2011
Xiang Sha Wan Art Palace – Inner Mongolia, China
Bob Kolbrener – Landscapes
Yun Tai Shan Photography Festival - Zhengzhou, China
Bob Kolbrener – Landscapes
2012
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Yosemite National Park, CA
Bob Kolbrener: When Meadows Turn White
Wine Art Center, Tianjin, China
Bob Kolbrener – Landscapes
2012
Mino Gallery – Kunming, China
Bob Kolbrener – Landscapes
Beijing 798 – Third Eye Photo Gallery – Beijing, China
Bob Kolbrener – Landscapes
2013
California State Library – Sacramento, CA
Living by the Sun - The Western Landscape Photographs of Bob Kolbrener
Galerie Antoine Proulx – Scottsdale, AZ
Solo Exhibition
2014
Monterey Museum of Art – Monterey, CA
Bob Kolbrener: In Real Time Celebrating Fifty Years in Photography
photo la, Los Angeles, CA
2015
Gallery of Classic Photography – Moscow, Russia
Solo Exhibition
Fresno Art Museum
Bob Kolbrener: In Real Time Celebrating Fifty Years in Photography
Booth Western Art Museum – Cartersville, GA
Bob Kolbrener’s AutoGraphs – “Tradigital” Signs of the Time
2016
Causey Contemporary, New York, NY
Bob Kolbrener’s AutoGraphs – “Tradigital” Signs of the Time
2017
POP International Galleries, New York, NY
Bob Kolbrener’s AutoGraphs – “Tradigital” Signs of the Time
2018
The Gallery at Ventana, Big Sur, CA
Solo Exhibition
Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA
Solo Exhibition
Selected Group Exhibitions
1974:
Cypress College – Los Angeles, CA, Two-man show with Brett Weston
Ralston Purina Company – St. Louis, MO, Group Exhibition
1976
The Saint Louis Art Museum – St. Louis, MO
Missouri Photographers’ Group Exhibition
1977
Polaroid Corporation – Cambridge, MA
Photographs from the Polaroid Collection
1979
Polaroid Corporation – Cambridge, MA
New Acquisitions – The Polaroid Collection
1986
The Hays Art Council – Hays, KS
Five State Photography Exhibition
1989
The Saint Louis Art Museum – St. Louis, MO
The Developing Eye: 150 Years of Photography; Selected Images
1990
The Arkansas Arts Center – Little Rock, AK
Legacy; 15 Proteges of Ansel Adams
1995
Locus Gallery – St. Louis, MO
Mural Photographs – Premier Exhibition
1996
Elliot Smith Contemporary Art – St. Louis, MO
The Alcatraz Portfolio
1996
Moved to the Carmel Highlands, CA to continue
Fine Art Photography full time
1999
The Suwa Art Museum – Suwa, Japan
Quest for Lost Image : Nudes – West Coast Photographers
2000
Weston Gallery – Carmel, CA
Selected Images
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Mumm Napa Valley, CA
Group Exhibition
2001
SoHo Triad Fine Arts – New York City, NY
Group Exhibition
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Mumm Napa Valley, CA
Group Exhibition
2002
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Mumm Napa Valley, CA
Group Exhibition
2003
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art – Scottsdale, AZ
Ansel Adams: Classic Images and Contemporary Photographers
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Mumm Napa Valley, CA
Group Exhibition
High Museum of Art – Atlanta, GA
Ansel Adams and His Legacy
2004
Nanao Art Museum – Nanao, Japan
Group Exhibition
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Mumm Napa Valley, CA
Group Exhibition
De Arno Gallery – Jakarta, Indonesia
Group Exhibition
Lishui International Art Photography Festival – China
Guest of Honor
2005
Trierenberg Super Circuit Exhibition – Austria
Black and White Photographs – Special Recognition: Landscape/Nudes
Fay Gold Gallery – Atlanta, GA
25th Anniversary Show
Group Exhibition
2006
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Carmel, CA
Group Exhibition
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Mumm Napa Valley, CA
Group Exhibition
2007
The Ansel Adams Gallery – Mumm Napa Valley, CA
Group Exhibition
Alan Klotz Gallery – New York City, NY
Group Exhibition
Michele Mosko Fine Art – Denver, CO
Group Exhibition
2008
The Arts Company - Nashville, TN
Ansel Adams/ Bob Kolbrener: 90 Years in the American West
Alan Klotz Gallery – New York City, NY
Group Exhibition
2009
Fay Gold Gallery – Atlanta, GA
Ansel Adams/ Bob Kolbrener: 90 Years in the American West
Michele Mosko Fine Art – Denver, CO
Ansel Adams/ Bob Kolbrener: 90 Years in the American West
The Ansel Adams Gallery
Ansel Adams/ Bob Kolbrener: 90 Years in the American West
Lumiére Gallery of Photography – Atlanta, GA
Group Exhibition
2010
Lumiére Gallery of Photography – Atlanta, GA
Picturing the West – Classic and Contemporary Photographs
Group Exhibition
Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH
American Photography: Selections from the Wells Fargo Art Collection
Group Exhibition
2011
Pamela Lerner Antiques – Bellport, NY
From the Mountains to the Sea
Classic Gallery - Moscow, Russia
American Landscape Photography
Group Exhibition
2012
Dali Photo Festival, Yunnan Province, China
Group Exhibition
2013
ShiJiaZhuang Art Museum – ShiJiaZhuang, China
American Life
Group Exhibition
2014
Monterey Museum of Art – Monterey, CA
Bob Kolbrener: In Real Time Celebrating Fifty Years in Photography
photo la, Los Angeles, CA
Group Exhibition
The Arts Company, Nashville, TN
Group Exhibition
National Art Museum of China – Beijing, China
Straight Photography 1839 - 2014
Group Exhibition
2015
Seijong Art Center – Seoul, Korea
Preserving the Vision: A Trio of Photographers
Group Exhibition
2016
Berlanga Fine Art, Chicago, IL
Les Femmes
Group Exhibition
The Ansel Adams Gallery, Yosemite National Park, CA
A Great Certainty: Photographs Commemorating 100 Years of National Park Service Stewardship
Group Exhibition
Causey Contemporary, New York, NY
Bob Kolbrener’s AutoGraphs – “Tradigital” Signs of the Time
Weston Gallery, Carmel, CA
Night Vision: Photographing in the Dark
Group Exhibition
2017
Bakersfield Museum of Art, Bakersfield, CA
Vision of Place
The Ansel Adams Gallery, Yosemite National Park, CA
Creating Wilderness
2018
Weston Gallery, Carmel, CA
Fire & Water
Group Exhibition
Selected Collections And Publications
- Polaroid print published: Ansel Adams Polaroid Land Photography 1978
- Bob Kolbrener Photographs: Twenty-Five Years in the American West; Exhibition Catalog published by The Saint Louis Art Museum – St. Louis, MO 1993
- View Camera Magazine – Feature Article 1997
- Seven Seas Magazine, Japan – Feature Article 1999
- B&W Magazine – Feature Article 2000
- Art News – Review “Kolbrener’s Yosemite” – New York Exhibition 2002
- Kolbrener’s Yosemite – Coffee Table Book; self-published to pay homage to Ansel Adams 2002
- Sharon – Coffee Table Book; self-published 2002
- National Geographic Adventure Magazine – Cover Photograph:The Devils Tower National Monument 2002
- Roots of California Photography: The Monterey Legacy; Film produced by the Monterey Museum of Art – CA 2002
- B&W Magazine – Book Review: Kolbrener’s Yosemite 2003
- Metro Magazine – Phoeniz, AZ – Featured Photographer – Premier Issue 2003
- Popular Photography Magazine – U.S.A. – Feature Article 2004
- Central Coast Magazine – California – Feature Article 2004
- Picture Perfect – Collecting Art and Photography by Stephanie Hoppen 2004
- THE POLAROID BOOK-TASCHEN; SELECTIONS FROM THE POLAROID COLLECTIONS OF PHOTOGRAPHY 2005
- Popular Photography Magazine – China – Feature Article 2005
- Carmel Magazine – Feature Article – Holiday 2008
- From the Mountains to the Sea: The Making of 40 Great Photographs, published by the China Photographic Publishing House, Beijing, China, 2008
- The Tennessean – Feature Article – November 16, 2008
- Photo Magazine – Hong Kong – Feature Article Fall/Winter 2008
Teaching
Bob has been a guest instructor at several colleges and institutions including:
- Washington University
- University of Missouri
- Saint Louis Art Museum
- Bakersfield Museum of Art
- The Booth Western Art Museum
Connect
Please reach out to us at info@anseladams.com for more information on how to connect with Bob Kolbrener
Explore Bob's Photographs
Bob Kolbrener
Bob Kolbrener
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Bob Kolbrener
Gallery Represented Artist
Represented Artist
Rising Fog - Devil's Tower, WY 1988
