Charles Traub collection

Charles H. Traub (1945 - ) is an American photographer and educator. Traub was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and earned his BA in English Literature at the University of Illinois. Afterwards, Traub joined the Peace Corps in Ethiopia, but was injured and returned home. Traub began pursuing his photography career at the Chicago Institute of Design, where he earned a Master of Science. Here, he studied under Aaron Siskind, Arthur Siegel and Garry Winogrand. He is known for his landscape photography as well as his color photography.

Traub began teaching at Columbia College Chicago in 1971 and was instrumental in developing the school’s “Contemporary Trends Lecture Series” that celebrated international photographers. He also founded the Chicago Center for Contemporary Photography (later becoming the Museum of Contemporary Photography). Traub later moved to New York City in the late 1970s, and he held his first solo exhibition at the Light Gallery. Traub then became the director of the Light Gallery in 1977. Leaving the gallery in 1980, Traub continued his photography and traveled abroad. In 1987, Traub started a graduate program for the School of Visual Arts, and has remained a chairperson at the School for 30 years.

Traub continues to hold exhibitions of his work both in the United States and internationally, and is also the president of the Aaron Siskind Foundation. He is also an advocate of digital photography, and is reflected in his own work.