A shy man who photographs greats - David Gartner
Lynda Peeler

Bronx born, and yeshiva schooled, what David wanted to do was to become a photographer - and that he did in a big way! As photographer for Playboy for 25 years, from 1967 to 1992 he was responsible for all the public relations photography and other photo assignments at the Playboy Club in New York. He had two studios in Manhattan, and opened the Playboy club in New York in 1962. He was the only one allowed to hire the Bunnies for that property and for the Playboy Hotel Resort in Great Gorge, New Jersey.

An entrepreneur, David owned all the playboy photo concessions and trained the Bunnies to take pictures for him. Expanding his business, he owned and operated the stables for the Great Gorge 500 acre hotel estate where he had 45 horses; and for the Wayne Newton Tamiment Hotel in the Poconos with a stable of 35 horses.

His celebrity photos of hundreds of notables include: for you who are sports fans, Hulk Hogan, Shaquille O'Neill, and Muhammed Ali and Howard Cossell; for those into music, The Rolling Stones, Tony Bennett, Louis Armstrong, and The Beatles; for laughs, Milton Berle, Billy Crystal and Jerry Lewis; and drama is represented by Paul Newman, Sharon Tate and Anthony Quinn. This is just a few who have brought us joy and tears over the years. His photographic skills were sought after by companies such as IBM, EXXON, 3M, General Motors and the U.S. Secret Service.

1996 he came to Sunny Isles Beach, where he has lived ever since. His father, Teddy owned a business at the Merchandise Mart, with his brother Harry, founded Young Israel of Sunny Isles Beach "My father would give anyone in need the shirt off his back," says Gartner as he explains his own deed of kindness. He serves on the board of Winston Towers 400, and is instrumental in placing security cameras for resident safety, as well as working to get a golf cart so there will be higher visibility and thereby greater safety for residents. He also takes an interest in residents who are elderly and whose families are not in the vicinity. His civic mindedness has taken him to the Miami Chamber and Sunny Isles Concerned Citizens, where until his back injury, he was the photographer. He is also active in the Democratic Club of Sunny Isles Beach.

David Gartner has experience an artistic connection with many we deem great, but have seen only from a distance. David Gartner, a shy man who photographs greats.

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