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Robert Gardner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Grosvenor Gardner (1925-11-05)November 5, 1925 Brookline,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | June 21, 2014(2014-06-21) (aged 88) Cambridge,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Academic, Anthropologist, Documentarian |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Harvard University (AB,AM) |
| Period | 1951–2000 |
| Notable works | Dead Birds Forest of Bliss |
| Spouse | Adele Pressman (m. 1983) |
| Children | 5 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Robert Grosvenor Gardner (November 5, 1925 – June 21, 2014) was an Americanacademic,anthropologist, anddocumentary filmmaker who was the Director of the Film Study Center atHarvard University from 1956 to 1997. Gardner is known for his work in the field ofvisual anthropology and films like theNational Film Registry inducteeDead Birds[1] andForest of Bliss. In 2011, a retrospective of his work was held atFilm Forum, New York.[2]
Gardner was the sixth child and third son, born in the home of his grandmotherIsabella Stewart Gardner.[3] He was a cousin of poetRobert Lowell.[4]
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree fromHarvard University in 1947, Gardner became an assistant toThomas Whittemore at Harvard'sFogg Museum. This allowed him to travel toAnatolia,Faiyum, andLondon, working with Coptic textiles and restoringByzantine art. He briefly taught medieval art and history at theCollege of Puget Sound inWashington state, where he studied the writings of anthropologistRuth Benedict. Following this, he gained an MA in anthropology from Harvard. It was during his graduation period that he took part in an expedition onKalahari DesertBushmen, for which he took photographs, recorded films, and carried out elementary research work. In 1957 he founded The Film Study Center, a production and research unit at thePeabody Museum at Harvard, where he made documentary films till he left the center in 1997.[5]
He lived inCambridge, MA with his wife, psychiatrist Dr Adele Pressman, and children.[5]
ThePeabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, as of 2010, gives the Harvard University's 'Robert Gardner Fellowship in Photography', worth $50,000.[6]
Gardner also hosted aBoston television series from 1972 to 1981 on anABC affiliate, showcasing works by independent filmmakers, ranging fromanimation (Jan Lenica,Caroline Leaf,John andFaith Hubley),experimental (Hollis Frampton,Standish Lawder), anddocumentary film (Les Blank,Hilary Harris).[7]
