Collection of Photography Instructional Books, Group of 15.

Robert A. Blake was an artist, educator, author, photographer, and founding team member of 601Artspace. From 1985 to 2008, Blake directed the one-year certificate General Studies program at the International Center of Photography in New York City. Fluent in French, he was a visiting artist at the Ecole Superieure National de la Photographie, France, and received an Etant Donnée grant for his solo exhibit, “Legend,” Paris.

Throughout his life, he collected books in English and French to enhance his self-directed education and to inspire his students, who came from all over the world. The collection includes works by renowned photographers such as Robert Frank, Dayanita Singh, Luigi Ghirri, Man Ray, Ansel Adams, Sophie Calle, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Lewis Baltz, Martine Fougeron, Roy DeCarava, Emmet Gowin, and many emerging artists. His library covers art history, documentary photography, the sociology of art and photography, political and cultural studies, and criticism. Many of the volumes are signed by artists with whom he collaborated, often books he helped to edit or for which he wrote introductions.

Blake sought to understand photography’s role in modern culture and its potential to alter our perceptions, revealing truths that might otherwise remain hidden. His love of visual storytelling and art encompassed many fields, and he read widely to understand photography’s role in culture, social change, politics, and the arts.

Photo by Matthew Monteith