ROBERT A. HANSEN (On Sabbatical)
MEDIUM
Photography
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Utilizing the infinite qualities of light that exists throughout the day, the series ‘On the edge of Darkness’ is an exploration of the visual realities that inhabit time.”
ARTIST BIO
Robert Hansen has a long association with the Festival of Arts here in Laguna Beach stretching back to his arrival here in the late 1970s from his birthplace in the Midwest. He has been a continuous exhibitor at the FOA since that time. Born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1952, Robert attended a private school on the East Coast experiencing the art and music environment of New York City in the late 1960s. In the 1970s Robert attended Drake University in Des Moines graduating with a degree in marketing and accounting. More importantly, during this period, Robert was given a camera which ignited his passion and career in photography. See current events at www.roberthansen.com.
After attending and graduating in 1978 from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, where he received a full scholarship, being awarded The Earl Theisen Award, Robert was accepted into The Festival of Arts. Thereafter he also began his career as a commercial photographer. Robert has always been self-employed in his 40 year commercial / fine art career. He has been a custom lab owner and printer, an architectural photographer, a gallerist, an author and book designer, a workshop instructor and a fine art photographer.
Robert’s clients include architects and builders – many whom have garnered regional and national design awards utilizing Robert’s photography. One notable client was Wallace Neff Jr. who employed Robert for over 35 years photographing his father’s architectural designs in southern California. Robert photographed iconic homes inhabited by Jack Lemmon, Vincent Minelli, Katherine Hepburn, as well as the Gillette mansion, The Ojai Inn and Spa, and the Doheny Library in Camarillo. A large format portfolio of this work, designed by Robert, was exhibited at the Huntington Library in 2010.
Robert has had many interesting commissions during his career. The United States Navy in collaboration with Professional Arts services hired Robert to photograph the ancient Native American rock art on the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in Ridgecrest, California in 2009. Thirty six large photographs were created from that job which are on permanent display at the Base. He also has several books to his credit including “Yucatan Passages” published in 2004, “Mexican Color” published in 2019, “Trolley” published in 2012, and “Dreaming Backwards” published in 2021. These books mirror Robert’s eclectic interest in subject matter and are available for purchase online at www.roberthansen.com.
Robert’s photography is represented in many private, commercial, and select museum collections throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe. His work is part of the permanent collections at The Huntington Library, The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, The Laguna Art Museum, The Butler Museum of American Art, The Museum Arte Contemporaneo de Yucatan and The Permanent Collection of The Festival of Arts.