Architectural photographer and writer Cervin Robinson (1928-2022) was once referred to by The New Criterion’s J. Duncan Berry as “perhaps the most celebrated of any living architectural photographer.” After attending Exeter Academy and Harvard University, Robinson served in the Army before starting a career in architectural photography as assistant to Walker Evans and as a photographer for the Historical American Buildings Survey for the Library of Congress. Over time his reputation grew and his work was sought out by architects and architectural publications. Robinson co-authored several books and contributed illustrations to many more. His work was shown at major museums and his work has been reviewed by, among other publications, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The New Criterion. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1971. An honorary member of the A.I., he received a special commendation in 1986 as a photographer and historian. He never officially retired but did commercial work into his late eighties.
Cervin Robinson
Studios
Nef
Cervin Robinson worked in the Nef studio.
Nef Studio, the first entirely new studio built after 1937, was donated by esteemed photographer, explorer, author, and MacDowell Fellow Evelyn Steffanson Nef in 1992. Endowed funds for the studio’s maintenance in perpetuity and an annual Fellowship for photographers were given in addition to funds for construction. Mrs. Nef said she had known about MacDowell all her…