Ezra Stoller (American, 1915–2004) remains one of the most celebrated architectural photographers of the twentieth century. Born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 16, 1915, Stoller was raised and educated in New York City, where a trade school course in mechanical drawing led him to study architecture at New York University. He graduated in 1938 with a degree in Industrial Design, having already begun photographing buildings, models, and sculptures created by his fellow students.
"No modern building is complete until it has been 'Stollerized.'" - Philip Johnson
Lyrical. Precise. Stoller's concise and commanding images defined the public's perception of post-War Modern architecture, providing viewers with a visual foothold to explore these new and radical structures. His ability to distill the essence of a building into a single, perfectly composed frame earned him commissions from virtually every major architect of the Modernist era - among them Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, Eero Saarinen, Le Corbusier, Marcel Breuer, Louis Kahn, Philip Johnson, I.M. Pei, Walter Gropius, Alvar Aalto, and Paul Rudolph.
Key Achievements:
- AIA Architecture Photography Medal (1961): Stoller became the first architectural photographer to receive this honor from the American Institute of Architects, in recognition of his singular contributions to the field.
- "Stollerized" - A Standard of Completion: So influential was his work that architect Philip Johnson famously declared no modern building was truly complete until it had been photographed by Stoller.
- Founder of Esto Photographics (1966): Stoller established Esto, one of the preeminent architectural photography agencies in the world, now led by his daughter, Erica Stoller.
Key works and museum presence include:
Fallingwater, Bear Run, Pennsylvania (Frank Lloyd Wright); Seagram Building, New York (Mies van der Rohe); TWA Flight Center, JFK Airport (Eero Saarinen): Salk Institute, La Jolla, California (Louis Kahn).
- Museum of Modern Art, New York - including a two-person exhibition with Frank Lloyd Wright in 1947
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- High Museum of Art, Atlanta
- Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal
Stoller's work appeared regularly in Architectural Record, Architectural Forum, House Beautiful, and Fortune, bringing the Modernist architectural avant-garde to a broad public audience over a career spanning nearly five decades. Ezra Stoller passed away on October 29, 2004, in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
View a select grouping of Ezra Stoller works online here or speak with a GALLERY M specialist today. 