Richard Nagler is a magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in the fields of philosophy and politics. After studying painting, he began to photograph in the early 1970s. Since then, he has garnered widespread attention. Three critically acclaimed books featuring his photography have been published: “My Love Affair with Miami Beach,” (Simon & Schuster, 1991), “Oakland Rhapsody: The Secret Soul of an American Downtown,” (North Atlantic Books, 1995), and “Word on the Street” (Heydady, 2010).
On a local scale, Nagler has been a respected member of the San Francisco Bay Area photographic community for the past thirty years. He is an enthusiastic supporter and promoter of the photographic arts, having served on many non-profit boards and committees over the years. The Richard Nagler Competition for Jewish Photography is an international photo competition held annually for photographers working with Judaic themes at the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, California. In addition to the wide recognition Nagler receives for his photographic work and charitable contributions, he is also highly regarded as an astute photography collector.
Nagler’s photography has been exhibited nationally and internationally over the past thirty years. In addition to his solo exhibitions in 2004 and 2007 at the George Krevsky Gallery, he has been featured in one-person shows at the Oakland Museum, the Albert Einstein Center in Sacramento, the May Museum in Lawrence, New York, and the Museum of the Diaspora in Tel Aviv, Israel. Additionally, he has been included in group exhibitions at the Twining Gallery in New York City, the Klein Gallery in Chicago, the Dalian Gallery in China, and the SF Arts Commission Gallery in San Francisco.
Born
New York City, 1947
Education
1969 University of Pennsylvania, BA, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa
1972 California College of Arts and Crafts
Solo Exhibitions
2007 “The Unspoken Word” George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2004 “Such is Life, 30 Years of Photography” George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1995 “My Love Affair With Miami Beach” University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
1994 “My Love Affair With Miami Beach” traveled to May Museum, Lawrence, New York & Koret Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
1993 “My Love Affair With Miami Beach” traveled to Gilbert Pavilion, Riverdale, New York; Dubin/Wolf Exhibit Center, Los Angeles; Museum of the Diaspora, Tel Aviv, Israel, & Dubin/Wolf Exhibit Center, Los Angeles; Museum of the Diaspora, Tel Aviv, Israel, & Albert Einstein Center, Sacramento, CA
1992 “My Love Affair With Miami Beach” Judah L. Magnes Museum, Berkeley, CA
1984 “Selected Images” Oakland Museum Collector’s Gallery, Oakland, CA
1984 “Lost Miami Beach” Catskill Center for Photography, Woodstock, NY
1983 “The Urban Landscape” Image Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
1983 “Focus on Old Oakland 1973-1983” Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 “Picturing Resistance” Art Intersection Gallery, Gilbert, AZ
2018 “In Focus: Current Photography” Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA
2017 “South Beach, 1974-1990: Photographs of a Jewish Community” History Miami Museum, Miami, FL
2012 “Keeping Time” Kala Art Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2012 “Cross-Pollination: The Art of Lawrence Ferlinghetti” artist portrait Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Sonoma, CA
2012 “Artistic Visions of the Golden Gate Bridge” George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2007 “Summer Reading” George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2009 “Signs: Wordplay in Photography” de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
2008 “Looks Given/Looks Taken: Jews in Urban Photography” Univ. of Michigan, Frankel Center
2007 “Faces and Places” George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2007 “Spring Training: The Art of Baseball” George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2005 “Contemporary Perspectives” Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Rosa, CA
2005 “Art of the Game: The Art of Baseball” George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2004 “Portraits of Jews 1975-1995” Beth Hatefutsoth Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel
2000 “Diamonds and Dust: the Art of Baseball” George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1998 “Lawrence Ferlinghetti: Pure Art vs. Agit-Prop” George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1996 “Culture and Continuity: The Jewish Journey” The Jewish Museum, New York City, NY
1995 “It Belongs in a Museum: Acquisitions 1992-1995” Judah L. Magnes Museum, Berkeley, CA
1993 “My Love Affair With Miami Beach” Jewish Community Center, Washington, D. C.; Jewish Festival of the Arts, Vancouver, B. C.
1991 “Through the Lens Lightly, Photographers Look at Oakland” Gallery Arcade, Oakland, CA
1989 “A Kiss is Just a Kiss” Klein Gallery, Chicago, IL
1989 “Best of the Decade” traveled to Festival at The Lake, Oakland, CA (Best of Show); Faulkner Color Lab, San Francisco
1988 “A Kiss is Just A Kiss” Twining Gallery, New York City, NY
1987 “Only in Miami Beach” Blake Street Gallery, Berkeley, CA
1986 “Oakland, California, U. S. A.” Dalian, China
1986 “Selections” Eye Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1985 “Snap ’85” San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco, CA
1984 “Picture Oakland” California ProArts, First Prize Color Photography
1978 “San Francisco Photographic Fair” First Prize Color Photography, Juried, CA
Selected Public Collections:
The Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA
The Jewish Museum, New York City, NY
The Port of Oakland Collection, Oakland, CA
The Forum Gallery Collection, New York City, NY
Judah L. Magnes Museum, Berkeley, CA
Beth Hatefutsoth, Tel Aviv, Israel
di Rosa Preserve, Napa, CA
Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CA
Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Rosa, CA
One California Bank, CA
The de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
Selected Private Collections:
Paul and Prentice Sack
Rene di Rosa
John and Gretchen Berggruen
Andrew and Barbara Fremder
Robert Mailer Anderson
Jane Levy Reed
George and Doris Krevsky
Books by Richard Nagler:
My Love Affair with Miami Beach, Photographs by Richard Nagler, Introduction and Commentary by Isaac Bashevis Singer, (Simon & Schuster, New York, 1991)
Oakland Rhapsody: The Secret Soul of an American Downtown, Photographs by Richard Nagler, Introduction and Commentary by Ishmael Reed, (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California, 1995)
Word on the Street, Photographs by Richard Nagler, Introduction by Peter Selz, (Heyday Books, Berkeley, California, 2010)
Looking at Art/The Art of Looking, Photographs by Richard Nagler, Introduction by Malcolm Margolin, (Heyday Books, Berkeley, California, 2014)
Book Awards:
2014 Finalist USA Book Awards/Best Photography Book
2014 Gold Medal for Photography in the Non-Fiction Book Awards
2014 First Prize in Photography at the Beverly Hills Book Awards
National Independent Book Award for Excellence in Photography
2014 Finalist in the Indiefab Book Awards