Robert Stiegler (1938–1990) was a Chicago-born photographer, filmmaker, and educator whose career was deeply rooted in the visual language of the Institute of Design (ID). His journey began in the darkroom at Lane Tech High School and, with encouragement from his photography teacher Charles E. Cooper, he enrolled at the ID in 1956. There, he studied under influential figures Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind, and was part of a generation of photographers—including Joe Jachna, Kenneth Josephson, Charles Swedlund, and Ray Metzker—who would go on to shape photographic education and practice in America.
After working in commercial photography and serving in the Army, Stiegler returned to the ID to complete his Master’s degree in 1966. He later joined the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) faculty, where he taught photography alongside close friends and fellow ID alumni Joe Jachna and Wayne Boyer. Stiegler was known not only for his still photography but also for his experimental filmmaking, and his work often explored abstraction, light, and movement across both mediums.
Throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, Stiegler was active in the arts community—participating in exhibitions, screenings, and lectures, and conducting workshops. His contributions were recognized with a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1980 and an Illinois Arts Council artist grant in 1983.
His photographs and films are part of major collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and George Eastman House in Rochester. Though his career was cut short by his death in 1990, Stiegler left behind a substantial body of work and a legacy as both an artist and teacher.
Other works available upon request.