A tragic story about an unknown artist, Jessica Ferber's mission to uncover who photographer Robert James Campbell was is not an easy task. The artist, who died in 2002, remained homeless for so long that his name and art is practically unsearchable.
Having been donated a trove of photos, negatives, notes, letter documents and other essential materials, Ms. Ferber stumbled upon this memorabilia completely by happenstance. She volunteered to peruse the deceased man's belongings when she graduated college to try and find if there was anything worth salvaging.
What she turned up, though, were pieces or art that were virtually lost in the unknown, seemingly hanging in the balance out of anonymity. The amount of materials that she acquired, too, would result in a 13-year adventure to unveil the life and story of a man who had been left behind by the times.
In a post on Cuepoint, Ferber recounts the details that made up who Robert James Campbell was, a resident in a subsidized homeless shelter for one and a photographer who had ties to the New York jazz scene in the 1960s.
Ferber writes in her post:
"Rebirth of the Cool [Discovering the Art of Robert James Campbell] is half narrative, half photographic. It's about a thriving photographer named Bob 'Soupy' Campbell, working in the 1960s jazz era of New York City. The unique intimacy seen in his images capture a vibrant moment-a flashpoint for the culture and the heritage of New York. It's also about a talented artist whose pathway from a fruitful career as a photographer led Campbell to escape to the West Coast in the 1970s, only to return east and die in a homeless shelter in Vermont in 2002, anonymous and alone."
This venture is similar to one that actually became the basis of an Oscar-nominated documentary entitled Finding Vivian Maier, a film about the anonymous and tragic life of photographer Vivian Maier, one of the earliest street photographers.
In that documentary too, amateur historian John Maloof purchased nearly 100,000 photographs from an unknown chest procured at an auction. Maier and Campbell, as they've now been given, deserve to have their stories told just like any other resounding talent.
Be sure to read the story about Mr. Campbell at Cuepoint now.
