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John Kobal
John Kobal
John Kobal
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John Kobal (born Iwan Kobal; 30 May 1940 – 28 October 1991)[1][2] was an Austrian-born British based film historian responsible for The Kobal Collection, a commercial photograph archive related to the film industry.

Biography

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Iwan Kobal (named after his father) was born in Linz, Austria. The family emigrated to Canada when Kobal was ten[1] and settled in Ottawa.[3]

Kobal had a short-lived career as an actor in early 1960s London. He was an inveterate collector: magazines, postcards, pictures, any movie memorabilia. It was a chance encounter with Marlene Dietrich in Montreal, Canada in the late 1950s that led Kobal to develop his affection for the Golden Age of Hollywood. He used his contacts from a BBC freelance appointment in New York from 1964 to acquire Hollywood related photographs,[3] and start The Kobal Collection, eventually numbering about 500,000 images dating from the end of the silent era to contemporary movies.[4]

The author of 30 books, Kobal is credited with essentially 'rediscovering' the great Hollywood Studio photographers – including George Hurrell, Laszlo Willinger, Clarence Sinclair Bull, Ted Allan - who were employed by the movie studios to create the glamorous, iconic portraits of the most famous and intriguing stars of the day that now epitomise Hollywood.

Kobal was responsible for organizing the first exhibition of Hollywood related photographs at London's Victoria and Albert Museum in 1974.[5] He reunited these forgotten artists with their original negatives and produced new prints for many subsequent exhibitions mounted worldwide at, amongst others, National Portrait Gallery, London; Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC and LA County Museum, Los Angeles.

The critic John Russell Taylor has described Kobal's contribution to film studies as "unique" and added "Serendipity played some part in this too: by accident, John's timing was spot on. When he became interested in the men behind the images, almost all of them were still alive and reachable. But it was John who realized their importance, sought them out, and was ready to acquire, preserve and protect hundreds of the original negatives at a time when no one else gave a damn about them. For those who knew him, John regularly tops their lists of "The Most Memorable Person I Ever Met". For those who didn't, one can best quote Sir Christopher Wren's tombstone: If You Seek His Monument, Look Around You."[1]

Kobal died aged 51 of HIV-related pneumonia in London.

His final biography, The Lost World of DeMille (University Press of Mississippi), was not published until 2019.[6]

The John Kobal Foundation

[edit]

The John Kobal Foundation, to which he donated his archive of fine art prints and negatives, was established as a registered charity at the end of 1992[7] and presented an annual award for portrait photography - John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award - at the National Portrait Gallery, London between 1993 and 2002.[8] Since 1999, it has had no connection with The Kobal Collection and is a totally separate entity.

In recent years, the foundation sponsored, amongst other projects, the John Kobal Book Award in association with the Royal Photographic Society; John Kobal New Work Awards to help towards the costs of photographers creating or exhibiting new work; the National Media Museum Bursary Awards for emerging photographers; John Kobal New Work Award commissioned portraits (from 2012 to 2018) of an emerging person in the British Film Industry for the National Portrait Gallery (as part of their annual Taylor Wessing Awards - the successor to the original John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award); and, a John Kobal Residency Award (from 2015 to 2017), with Photo London, enabling an artist to spend two months in New York making work and meeting contacts at galleries, museums and with collectors.

In January 2023, it announced The John Kobal Foundation Fellowship, worth £50,000, to be awarded every two years to an artist or collective who, in the view of an international selection board appointed by the Foundation, has established an outstanding body of lens-based work. The winner of the inaugural John Kobal Foundation Fellowship was South African photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa.

References

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John Kobal

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John Kobal was an Austrian-born film historian, author, and collector known for assembling The Kobal Collection, a major archive of Hollywood glamour photography and film stills, and for authoring more than thirty books that helped revive interest in classic Hollywood portrait photographers and cinema history. He is credited with rediscovering and promoting the work of photographers such as George Hurrell, Clarence Sinclair Bull, and others through exhibitions and publications that elevated Hollywood portraiture as an art form. Born Ivan Kobaly on May 30, 1940, in Linz, Austria, to a Ruthenian father and Austrian mother, Kobal emigrated to Canada at age ten, settling in Ottawa where he developed an early passion for films. As a teenager he began collecting film memorabilia and star images, later pursuing acting ambitions that took him to New York at eighteen and then to England in the late 1950s, where he worked in provincial theater while expanding his collection of stills and ephemera. In the early 1960s he contributed to BBC Radio's "Movie Go Round" program, first freelancing and later serving as its U.S. correspondent after relocating to New York in 1964, a period when major studios discarded vast quantities of old publicity materials that he systematically acquired. His collection evolved into The Kobal Collection, a key resource licensed worldwide by publishers, media, and researchers, while he organized influential exhibitions of Hollywood portrait photography at institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Museum of Modern Art, National Portrait Gallery in London and Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Notable books include Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance on the American film musical, The Art of the Great Hollywood Portrait Photographers 1925–1940, Rita Hayworth: The Time, The Place and The Woman, and People Will Talk, an anthology of star interviews. Kobal died in London on October 28, 1991, and his archive forms the core of the John Kobal Foundation, which continues to preserve and promote his legacy through exhibitions, publications, and awards.

Early life

Birth and childhood in Austria

John Kobal was born on May 30, 1940, in Linz, Austria, as Ivan Kobaly, the son of a Ruthenian father and an Austrian mother. He spent his early childhood in post-war Austria, a time of profound disruption following World War II, during which the family lived in the American occupation zone. Hollywood films, with their glamour and escapist appeal, exerted a powerful imaginative charm on him amid these conditions, serving as a formative influence. One of his earliest memories of cinema was sneaking into a screening of a Rita Hayworth film—intended exclusively for American occupation forces—in a hall next to his grandmother's house in Salzburg. Kobal recalled this clandestine encounter with the star's presence on screen as igniting his fascination with Hollywood's star imagery and glamour photography. This experience marked the beginning of his lifelong interest in film stars and their photographers. At age ten, Kobal immigrated to Canada with his family.

Immigration to Canada and early collecting

In 1950, at the age of ten, John Kobal immigrated to Canada with his family from Austria, settling in Ottawa where he adopted the name John Kobal. His passion for film had already begun in post-war Austria with childhood memories of viewing Hollywood movies, including sneaking into a screening to see a Rita Hayworth film. As a teenager in Ottawa, Kobal started collecting movie memorabilia as a means of connecting to the distant glamour of Hollywood. He amassed fan magazines and 8×10 glossy studio photographs, often by requesting them directly from Hollywood studios. This pursuit provided an escape and sense of proximity to the star-driven world he admired from afar in Canada. His early collecting reflected a deep infatuation with the imagery and lore of classic cinema.

Move to England and early career

Acting in provincial theatre

John Kobal moved to England in the late 1950s after a brief stay in New York, with the intention of pursuing a career as a stage actor. He spent four years touring English provincial repertory theatres, appearing in a variety of plays in different productions across the country. During these tours, he continued his longstanding interest in collecting film stills and memorabilia, actively seeking out items in antique markets and bookshops in the towns where he performed. This collecting habit had begun during his childhood in Canada. His time in provincial theatre provided opportunities to travel extensively within England, allowing him to expand his archive while working in the acting profession.

Shift to film journalism and BBC work

In 1964, John Kobal ended his acting career in provincial theatre and transitioned to freelance film journalism. While touring in plays, he had continued building his collection of film memorabilia by searching antique markets and second-hand bookshops. That same year, he began freelancing for BBC Radio's Movie Go Round program, preparing news items and interviews while drawing on his dramatic background. Kobal relocated to New York City in 1964 to support this work. He later advanced to the role of US film correspondent for BBC Radio, contributing to Movie Go Round from this base. Through these positions, he made regular appearances on BBC radio as a film critic during the 1960s.

Development as film historian and collector

Acquisitions during Hollywood studio transitions

In the 1960s and early 1970s, major Hollywood studios underwent significant corporate transitions as they were acquired by conglomerates, leading to the closure of publicity departments and the widespread disposal of their photographic archives, which were often regarded as obsolete and valueless in the changing industry. John Kobal, recognizing the historical importance of these materials, made frequent trips to Los Angeles and New York to salvage discarded publicity photographs, posters, lobby cards, and other ephemera from studios including MGM, Paramount, and others facing upheaval. He acquired large quantities of original 11×14 silver gelatin portrait prints and related items that had been deemed surplus and destined for destruction or sale as waste. Kobal transported these materials in his station wagon during repeated visits, amassing a substantial collection that formed the core of what would become one of the world's premier archives of Hollywood portraiture and film stills. His efforts coincided precisely with this period of studio conglomeration and archival purging, enabling him to preserve a vast body of work that might otherwise have been permanently lost. His position as a BBC correspondent in the United States facilitated the travel necessary for these acquisitions.

Interviews with photographers and stars

In 1969, while working as a journalist on the set of Myra Breckinridge with the intention of interviewing Mae West, John Kobal met photographer George Hurrell, who was shooting stills there; recognizing the name from signatures on prints in his longstanding collection of Hollywood glamour images, Kobal struck up a conversation that quickly developed into a close friendship. This encounter proved pivotal, shifting Kobal's focus from primarily acquiring vintage prints to actively seeking out and interviewing surviving studio photographers to document the techniques and history behind Hollywood's glamour portraiture. Following this meeting, Kobal befriended and conducted interviews with several key photographers from the studio era, including Clarence Sinclair Bull, Laszlo Willinger, Robert Coburn, Ted Allan, and Ernest Bachrach; these relationships allowed him to gather firsthand accounts of their working methods, resolve attribution issues for many uncredited images, and secure original negatives or prints for preservation. Kobal also formed personal connections with prominent film stars, often gaining access through introductions such as Tallulah Bankhead's facilitation of meetings with George Cukor and others in Hollywood; he interviewed and spent time with figures including Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, and Gloria Swanson. These interactions provided intimate insights into the stars' experiences with portrait photography and the studio system, with examples including Swanson's 1964 observation that audiences ultimately determine stardom and Crawford's reflections on performing for the camera. These personal relationships complemented his earlier acquisitions of prints by offering direct historical testimony from the subjects and creators of Hollywood's iconic imagery.

The Kobal Collection

Formation and growth of the archive

John Kobal established The Kobal Collection as a commercial photographic archive specializing in film stills, portraits, and publicity photographs from Hollywood cinema. Stemming from his lifelong passion for collecting film-related imagery that began in his youth, Kobal developed the archive into a professional resource for publishers, researchers, and media outlets seeking authentic vintage material. The archive grew steadily through targeted acquisitions, including materials from Hollywood studios during periods of transition and archival clearances. By the late 1980s, The Kobal Collection had expanded to about half a million items, establishing it as one of the world's largest and most comprehensive holdings of cinema photographs. The images dated from the end of the silent era through to contemporary films, encompassing production stills, behind-the-scenes shots, and promotional portraits. The Kobal Collection became recognized as an authoritative source for vintage Hollywood photography, particularly valued for its depth in glamour and portrait work by key studio photographers. Its scale and quality supported widespread use in books, exhibitions, and media reproductions, cementing its commercial role in preserving and disseminating film history imagery during Kobal's lifetime.

Emphasis on glamour portrait photographers

John Kobal placed particular emphasis on the glamour portrait photographers whose work defined Hollywood's golden age, especially those active during the period he regarded as the pinnacle of innovation in studio portraiture, from 1925 to 1940. He actively rediscovered and promoted figures such as George Hurrell, Clarence Sinclair Bull, Laszlo Willinger, Ted Allan, Ruth Harriet Louise, and E.R. Richee, whose distinctive styles—marked by dramatic lighting, retouching, and idealized star imagery—had largely faded from recognition as studio archives discarded materials. Kobal sought out these photographers and, where possible, reunited them with their original negatives, enabling the production of new high-quality prints decades later, including gelatin silver prints often made under the photographers' direct supervision or using their original techniques, as well as archival platinum prints for greater longevity. This hands-on approach not only preserved the images but also allowed the artists themselves to participate in reviving their work. His efforts were driven by a commitment to restoring the reputations of these once-forgotten artists, crediting them as the true creators behind Hollywood's glamorous iconography rather than anonymous studio functionaries. Kobal interviewed many of these photographers, gathering firsthand accounts of their techniques and collaborations with stars that further illuminated their contributions.

Publications

Authored and edited books on film and photography

John Kobal authored and edited numerous books on film history and Hollywood photography, drawing extensively from his vast collection of images and his interviews with stars and photographers. These publications emphasized glamour portraiture, movie musicals, and profiles of individual performers and filmmakers. A landmark among his works is The Art of the Great Hollywood Portrait Photographers, 1925-1940 (1980), recognized as the first systematic study of the era's leading studio photographers, featuring detailed reproductions and commentary on their techniques in creating iconic glamour images. The book highlights the artistry of figures like George Hurrell and Clarence Sinclair Bull, cementing its status as a key reference in the field. Other notable titles include Hollywood Glamour Portraits: 145 Photos of Stars 1926-1949 (1976), a curated selection of portraits capturing the height of studio-era glamour; Movie-Star Portraits of the Forties (1977), focusing on portraits from that decade; The Man Who Shot Garbo (1989), devoted to Clarence Sinclair Bull's photographs of Greta Garbo and other stars; Rita Hayworth (1977), a tribute to the actress through images and text; People Will Talk (1985), exploring Hollywood personalities; and the posthumous The Lost World of DeMille (2019), examining Cecil B. DeMille's work through archival visuals. Kobal's books were often informed by his direct interviews with photographers and rediscoveries from his collection.

Exhibitions

Pioneering museum shows of Hollywood portraiture

John Kobal organized a series of pioneering museum exhibitions that introduced Hollywood glamour portrait photography to major institutions, elevating the genre from fan memorabilia to recognized art form. His first major show took place at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 1974 and is recognized as the first exhibition of the Hollywood group. This exhibition featured vintage prints from his collection alongside new prints made from original negatives, highlighting the technical and artistic qualities of studio-era portraiture. Subsequent exhibitions followed at prominent venues including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Portrait Gallery in London and Washington, D.C., and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. These shows presented carefully curated selections from Kobal's archive, drawing attention to the work of key glamour photographers and their role in shaping Hollywood's visual identity during the golden age. In 1989, Kobal curated the monographic exhibition The Man Who Shot Garbo, devoted to photographer Clarence Sinclair Bull, at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The show focused on Bull's iconic portraits of Greta Garbo and other stars, further demonstrating Kobal's commitment to contextualizing Hollywood portraiture within museum scholarship.

John Kobal Foundation and legacy

Establishment of the foundation

The John Kobal Foundation was established by John Kobal in 1990 as a charity to advance the study and exhibition of photography, particularly portraiture. Prior to his death, Kobal donated a significant portion of vintage prints, new prints made from original negatives, and the core of his archive to the foundation to ensure its protection and accessibility for future generations. The foundation's primary role included administering the annual John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery in London, which ran from 1993 to 2002 and sought to recognize outstanding contemporary portrait photography. This initiative built on Kobal's pre-death collection and exhibitions by providing ongoing support for the appreciation and continuation of the photographic traditions he championed.

Influence on film photography preservation

John Kobal is widely credited with rediscovering and restoring the reputations of major Hollywood studio portrait photographers from the glamour era, including figures such as George Hurrell, Laszlo Willinger, Clarence Sinclair Bull, and Ruth Harriet Louise, who had largely faded from recognition. By actively seeking out surviving photographers and acquiring thousands of their original negatives during the 1970s and 1980s—often at a time when studios discarded such materials and few valued them—he preserved images that might otherwise have been lost forever. This work transformed discarded promotional ephemera, including publicity stills and portraits, into recognized historical and artistic artifacts through his vast collection, authoritative books, and groundbreaking exhibitions. Kobal's publications, notably The Art of the Great Hollywood Portrait Photographers, 1925-1940, provided the first systematic study of the techniques and artistry behind these images, while his curatorial efforts led to some of the earliest major museum shows dedicated to Hollywood portraiture. Collaborations with institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art for the 1980 exhibition Hollywood Portrait Photographers, 1921-41 and the National Portrait Gallery's 2011 Glamour of the Gods—drawn from his foundation's archive—helped establish glamour photography as a legitimate subject in art history and ensured its ongoing preservation and appreciation. Since around 2000, the John Kobal Foundation and the commercial Kobal Collection have operated as separate entities. The foundation continues his legacy by supporting contemporary portrait photography through grants, awards, and fellowships.

Death

Final years and passing

In his final years, John Kobal continued his extensive work in film history and photography, completing the manuscript for what would be his last book, The Lost World of DeMille, shortly before his death. Aware of his declining health, he appointed a group of friends to serve as trustees for a charitable foundation intended to preserve and promote his collection of Hollywood imagery while supporting portrait photography. Kobal died on October 28, 1991, in London at the age of 51 from HIV-related pneumonia as a complication of AIDS. Following his passing, the donation of his archive provided the financial and material foundation for the John Kobal Foundation, which was formally registered as a charity by the end of 1992 to carry forward his vision. His final book, The Lost World of DeMille, was published posthumously in 2019.

References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20090616103119/http://www.johnkobal.org/about_john_kobal.php
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/30/arts/john-kobal-51-compiled-collection-of-hollywood-lore.html
  3. https://loeildelaphotographie.com/en/john-kobal-1940-1991-an-incredible-life/
  4. https://www.palazzoesposizioniroma.it/pagine/exhibitions-upcoming-exhibitions-hollywood-icons-photographs-from-the-john-kobal-foundation-john-kobal-biography
  5. https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/the-john-kobal-foundation-independent-on-sunday-photographic-portrait-award-a-photographic-portrait-prize-in-memory-of-john-kobal-1471455.html
  6. https://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/sites/hoodmuseum.prod/files/hoodmuseum/publications/2010springquarterly.pdf
  7. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/mar/11/john-kobal-the-talking-pictures-man-archive-1987
  8. https://johnkobal.org/
  9. https://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/news/2010/03/made-hollywood-photographs-john-kobal-foundation
  10. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/11/the-movie-star-photographer-who-helped-make-nostalgia-cool/265642/
  11. https://atom-sparc.fitnyc.edu/john-kobal-interview-circa-1980s-2
  12. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-kobal25-2008aug25-story.html
  13. https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/john-kobal-158767
  14. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-25-et-kobal25-story.html
  15. https://dartreview.com/photographs-from-hollywoods-golden-era-the-john-kobal-foundation-collection/
  16. https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL949523A/John_Kobal
  17. https://www.amazon.com/Great-Hollywood-Portrait-Photographers-1925-1940/dp/0394428625
  18. https://store.doverpublications.com/products/9780486235462
  19. https://legacy.johnkobal.org/
  20. https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2011/glamour-of-the-gods
  21. https://hyperallergic.com/john-kobal-old-hollywood-photographs-acquired-by-hood-museum-at-dartmouth/
  22. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/jul/17/glamour-of-gods-kobal-review
  23. https://hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/explore/collection/featured-collections/john-kobal-foundation-collection
  24. https://www.moma.org/docs/press_archives/5862/releases/MOMA_1980_0065_68.pdf
  25. https://loeildelaphotographie.com/en/simon-crocker-remembers-john-kobal/
  26. https://www.amazon.com/Lost-World-DeMille-Hollywood-Legends/dp/1496825233
  27. https://ew.com/article/1991/11/29/aids-entertainment-world/
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