Robert Farber American, b. 1944
Empire Diner, New York, 1979
Series: Vintage Fashion
Dye sublimation on Chroma Luxe aluminum
121.9 x 182.9 cm
48 x 72 in
48 x 72 in
Edition of 10
Archival pigment print
101.6 x 152.4 cm
40 x 60 in
40 x 60 in
Edition of 10
Archival pigment print
76.2 x 101.6 cm
30 x 40 in
30 x 40 in
Edition of 10
Archival pigment print
50.8 x 76.2 cm
20 x 30 in
20 x 30 in
Edition of 15
Further images
Farber began his commercial career as a fashion photographer, and at the same time, having parallel growth as a fine art photographer. This was 1976, when his first book of nudes was published.
His distinctive style was reflected in all genres of his work, making his commercial indistinguishable from his fine art. This resulted not only in an escalation of his early career, but also acceptance of his vintage fashion as fine art in his later years.
Dye-sublimation onto metal is the process of ink dyes going from a solid to a gas and back to a solid infused onto a metal surface. First, the image is printed on a transfer paper and then adhered to a pre-treated aluminum. The aluminum and transfer paper are placed together and undergo a custom heating press to temperatures up to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. The extreme heat and pressure applied to the transfer paper turn the dyes into a gas which are infused into the aluminum. As the dyes cool, they are permanently solidified beneath the surface of the metal substrate.