Esther Robles Gallery records
name: label: Creator
content: Esther-Robles Gallery
label: Names
content: Robles, Esther, 1907-2001
label: Names
content: Robles, Robert Holtz (1922)
topic: label: Topic
content: Women art dealers
label: Topic
content: Abstract expressionism
label: Topic
content: Symbolism
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Esther Robles Gallery records were donated to the Archives of American Art in 2005 and 2009 by Robert Robles, husband and business partner of Esther Robles who died in 2001.
creator: label: Creator
content: Esther-Robles Gallery
setName: label: See more items in
content: Esther Robles Gallery records
abstract: label: Summary
content: The records of the Los Angeles-based Esther Robles Gallery measure 26.3 linear feet and date from 1942-2003. The collection consists of extensive artist's files, as well as administrative records, business correspondence, organization files, exhibition files, gallery and art dealer files, collectors files, financial records, printed material, and photographic material.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The Esther Robles Gallery (est. 1947, closed 1979) was a commercial art gallery in Los Angeles, California, founded by Esther Waggoner Robles (1907-2001). Robles originally named her business Esther's Alley Gallery after its location at the rear of a building on La Cienega Boulevard. The gallery initially specialized in frames, crafts, and modern design. In 1947, Esther married Robert Holtz Robles (born 1922), who became her business partner and helped her transform the shop into a serious commercial art gallery. The gallery moved to a street-facing location and became the Esther Robles Gallery. More galleries would open nearby throughout the 1950s and 1960s, helping establish the area along N. La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood as a hub for gallerists and art collectors. With modern and contemporary art as its focus, the Esther Robles Gallery exhibited works by Karel Appel, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Emil Bisttram, Karl Benjamin, Herbert Bayer, Claire Falkenstein, and other significant artists. The Robles moved the gallery to Brentwood in 1976 and retired several years later.
function: label: Function
content: Art galleries, Commercial -- California
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 26.3 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1942-2003
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.esthrobg
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 10 series.

Series 1: Administrative Files, circa 1947-circa 1980 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1947-2003 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 3: Artist Files, 1945-2001 (14.1 linear feet; Boxes 2-16, OV 28)

Series 4: Organization Files, 1955-1992 (2.4 linear feet; Boxes 16-18)

Series 5: Gallery and Art Dealer Files, 1950-1994 (2.5 linear feet; Boxes 18-21)

Series 6: Collector Files, 1954-1993 (1 linear feet; Boxes 21-22)

Series 7: Exhibition Files, 1947-2003 (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 22-23)

Series 8: Financial Records, circa 1953-1984 (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 23-25)

Series 9: Printed Material, 1954-2001 (0.4 linear feet; Box 25)

Series 10: Photographic Material, circa 1942-1990 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 25-27, OV 28)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Rihoko Ueno in 2025.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The records of the Los Angeles-based Esther Robles Gallery measure 26.3 linear feet and date from 1942-2003. The collection consists of extensive artist's files, as well as administrative records, business correspondence, organization files, exhibition files, gallery and art dealer files, collectors files, financial records, printed material, and photographic material.