Robert Erickson (American, 1917-1991) was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. As a young man he developed a range of interests including nature, science, math, music, art, and languages, all of which were embraced by the Institute of Design in Chicago where he studied from 1943-48. In 1945, under the directorship of experimental artist László Moholy-Nagy, Erickson received the first Master's Degree awarded by the ID. His photographic search for the beautiful embraced Chicago in a ceaseless passion for its interpretative possibilities. Using a variety of cameras, including one with a homemade kaleidoscopic lens extension, Erickson redefined powerful bridges, pedestrians, elegant church windows, desolated apartment buildings, and downtown storefronts. He continued his formal teaching until 1978, when illness forced him to retire. Erickson's work has been exhibited in a number of Bauhaus / ID. related shows, including the 2002 landmark exhibition "Taken by Design," organized by the Art Institute of Chicago.