Robert Farber (1948 – 23 December 1995) was an American actor and artist.

Early life

Farber was born and grew up in Hartsdale, New York. He studied theater at Brandeis University where he graduated in 1970. He then completed his studies at the London School of Dramatic Art and appeared in various

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

shows. In the 1980s, Farber studied at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

and began to exhibit his work.

Art career

Farber is best known for his artworks addressing the HIV/AID crisis. After he tested positive for HIV in 1989, Farber began to focus in earnest on the subject. One of his best known works, ''Every Ten Minutes'' is an audio recording of the bell in

The Riverside Church Riverside Church is an interdenominational church in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on the block bounded by Riverside Drive, Claremont Avenue, 120th Street and 122nd Street near Columbia University's Mornings ...

, New york City tolling every ten minutes, representing the rate of deaths as a result of HIV/Aids. His 1992 solo exhibition at Artist's Space, ''I Thought I Had Time'', was composed of interviews with AIDS survivors and drew comparisons with the 14th century

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium (''Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well a ...

. A retrospective of his work ''Robert Farber: A Retrospective'' was presented in 1997 at the Rose Art Museum and at USC, Fisher Gallery in 1998. Farber's work was included in the exhibition ''Art Aids America'' at the

Zuckerman Museum of Art Zuckermann or Zuckerman is a Yiddish or German surname meaning "sugar man". Zuckermann * Ariel Zuckermann (born 1973), Israeli conductor * Benedict Zuckermann (1818–1891), a German scientist born at Breslau * Ghil'ad Zuckermann (born 1971), an I ...

in 2016.

Collections

Farber's audio work ''Every Ten Minutes'' is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. His work also appears in the collection and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Death

Farber died of an

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

-related illness on 23 December 1995 in Manhattan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farber, Robert 1948 births 1995 deaths AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) 20th-century American painters American installation artists American male actors Brandeis University alumni Art Students League of New York alumni