Mel Roberts Photography

Roberts Rediscovered

After a decade of obscurity, Roberts' work was presented to a new generation of viewers when a film producer approached him with a novel concept: putting his still photographs on video. Although he felt that the idea "made no sense," he agreed to give it a try. The result was stunning. Mel Roberts' Classic Males, was a huge success and led to three more videos, with the fourth nominated for AVN Adult Video of the Year.

When a few of Roberts' photos were included in a group show in San Diego, they were seen and admired by David Sprigle. His company, Fotofactory Press, went on to publish two books: California Boys (2000) and The Wild Ones (2001), considered by critic Christopher Birch as "among the defining books of mid-20th century California."

Since then, his work has been displayed in dozens of magazines from The Advocate to XY. Hero Magazine put his work in perspective: "Before Bruce Weber, Tom Bianchi and Herb Ritts, there was Mel Roberts!" Interview Magazine describes "A connoisseur's vision of sun-lovin' west coast men."

Roberts' photography is now represented in galleries in New York, Los Angeles and Palm Springs. Private collectors around the world have sought his brilliantly colored, large-format prints. One of the most avid, Sir Elton John, acquired almost sixty of his images for his personal collection.

Roberts is appreciative of the newfound interest in his work. No longer considered just a physique photographer, his images have achieved a level of critical success he never expected. The New Yorker review of the 2003 ClampArt show, "The Boys of Summer," described his "witty, buoyant Technicolor pictures" as capturing "all the giddy delights of being young during summertime, [but] it's not all high camp."

Approaching his 83rd birthday, Roberts is healthy and energetic, but he isn't tempted to pick up his camera again. A brief return to do a fashion shoot for Flaunt magazine was fun, but ultimately less than satisfying artistically. There was no way to recreate the relationships and joie de vivre that lies at the heart of Roberts' photographs from the 60s and 70s. As much as they serve as documents of a bygone era, they are also an enduring expression of a life well lived.

Back to Mel Roberts part one.
Mel Roberts vintage prints.