Vavra, Robert

Robert Vavra is an American-born photographer, who is considered to be the world’s premier photographer of horses. Vavra was born on March 9, 1935 in Glendale, California. In 1958, with little money and no local contacts, he moved to Seville, Spain to pursue his interest in studying Spanish bulls. Vavra has written over 30 books, and his expertise has been used by a wide-variety of corporations, organizations and individuals ranging from the Walt Disney Company to Bo Derek to the Russian Republic. He has worked within the film industry on such films as Lawrence of Arabia, Patton and The Horse Whisperer.

Vavra meet James Michener in Seville, and the two developed a life-long friendship. Vavra often served as Michener’s photographer and his photographs illustrated Michener’s Iberia: Spanish Travels and Reflections.