Frank, best known for his groundbreaking book, the americans, had a visually raw and. He began his career in photography in the mid1940s before emigrating to america in 1947. I am certain that many of you are familiar with robert frank and the americans. The photographs were notable for their distanced view of both high and low strata of american society. His father, hermann frank, of frankfurtammain, germany, was a successful and welleducated businessman, who was an amateur photographer and interested in art. In the americans, robert frank may have appeared as a revolutionary photographer, but beyond the americans, the real revolution in photography was taking place elsewhere. The robert frank collection national gallery of art. Buy a cheap copy of the americans book by robert frank. The second of two children, frank was an athletic youth. In this rare interview, photographer robert frank discusses his seminal book the americans 1958. Armed with a camera and a fresh cache of film and bankrolled by a guggenheim foundation grant, robert frank crisscrossed the united states during 1955 and 1956. Frank became associated with the socalled beat circle, a group of poets, writers and artists beatniks who exemplified the apolitical, freeform spirit of postwar american existentialism. Robert frank parade hoboken, new jersey 1955 artsy. Robert franks the americans celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of this prescient book.
Eight photographers on their favorite image from robert. Inside robert franks the americans the national gallery of art organized a comprehensive exhibit of robert franks work 5. The shock of robert franks the americans the new yorker. If robert frank werent so acclaimed as one of the most influential photographers of all time, hed have a much larger profile as an american indie filmmaking icon, linklater says. The americans was the work of swissborn photographer robert frank, and the national gallery of art is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the books american debut with an exhibition. Created in the 1950s during a series of road trips through the united.
The americans is a photography book by swissborn robert frank, published first in france 1958 and then in the us 1959. The americans edition 1 by robert frank 9783865215840. Few photographers have managed to capture the american life and culture as honestly as robert frank. Frank became associated with the socalled beat circle, a group of poets, writers and artists beatniks who exemplified the apolitical, freeform spirit of postwar. Seeing the americans in a college bookshop was a stunning, groundtrembling experience for me. First published in 1959, robert frank s masterpiece still holds up the selection of photos, and their sequence and pacing is fresh, rich, generous, and stunning. These photographs feature glimpses of highways, cars, parades, jukeboxes, and diners as iconic symbols of america while simultaneously suggesting an. The book, which was published in the united states in 1959, ranked with dylan. It may be impossible to convey to people who werent percipient in the early nineteensixties the profound, exulting shock that robert frank s the americans delivered to me, among many others, at the time of its release.
Robert frank, telling it like it was the new york times. Now frank, arguably the most influential living photographer, is about to mark another defining cultural moment. In 2009, the metropolitan museum of art celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of robert franks foundational photography book the americans with an exhibit of the volumes eightythree. How robert franks book the americans redefined american. Fifty years on, it still unsettles frank sought to compile a spontaneous record of a man seeing this country for the first time. Drawing on newly examined archival sources, it provides a fascinating indepth examination of the making of the photographs and the. He earned his living as a commercial photographer, spending his time off wandering new york and photographing what he found. Robert frank november 9, 1924 september 9, 2019 was a swiss photographer and documentary filmmaker, who became an american binational. Unlike peru, in which the order of pictures was not firmly established, the americans displays a deliberate structure, an emphatic narrator, and what frank called a distinct and intense order that amplified and tempered the individual pictures. The develop tube photography video channel on youtube 20,177 views. In 83 photographs, frank looked beneath the surface of american life to reveal a people plagued by racism, illserved by their politicians and rendered numb by a rapidly expanding culture of consumption.
It was first published in france in 1958, and the following year in the united states. Robert frank 1924present swiss photographer whose 1958 book titled the americans is regarded as one of the most influential works in photography history. The photographer robert frank, who was known for his visually raw and personally expressive style. Robert franks the americans still shocks, 50 years on a detailed exhibition currently at the new york met reveals the extraordinary power of the photographers eye sean ohagan. Robert franks the americans still shocks, 50 years on. The introduction to the americans was written by jack kerouac, author of on the road 1957 where he compared robert frank to ulysses. In 1955, with funding secured to support his goals, frank, who had immigrated to the united states from switzerland towards the end of the previous decade, set off with his 35mm leica camera in a ford business coupe. Snaps of time captured with a camera to be immortalized.
The americans robert frank is an extraordinary photo book of ordinary americans. He did not want to follow his father into that trade, regarding it as dull. In his book the americans, robert frank changed photography. On the road robert frank and the americans born in zurich in 1924, robert frank came to new york in 1947, eager to escape his fathers radioimporting business. Robert frank came to artistic eminence following the publication of his seminal book the americans which is regarded to this day as one of the most influential photography projects of the 20th century. I am a fan of robert franks work, i love photo books, and i hope this video will. Contributor lyle rexer lyle rexer is the author of several books on outsider art, including how to look at outsider art. Kerouac said, robert frankhe sucked a sad poem right out of america onto film, taking rank among the tragic poets of the world.
The americans photographs by robert frank lensculture. Robert frank, swiss american photographer and director who was one of the most influential photographers of the mid20th century, noted for his ironic renderings of american life. Photographs such as chicago, 1956 in the americans revealed franks mature style, which was characterized by bold composition and ironic. Robert frank, telling it like it was by maurice berger jan. The beauty of this book is the mundane situations forever caught on film moments that appeared and thanks to frank. It consisted of 83 photographs, with only one photograph per page. The now famous, the americans, was first published in 1958 in france. Each begins with a picture of an american flag and proceeds with a rhythm based on the interplay between motion and stasis, the presence and absence of people. When robert franks book the americans was released, practical photography magazine dismissed the swissborn photographers work as a collection of meaningless blur, grain, muddy exposures, drunken horizons and general sloppiness. The tightlycropped photo shows passengers in the windows of a new orleans trolley assuming their place in the social order of the jim crow south progressing from a black woman in the rear to white children and adults up front slide 4. First published in france in 1958, then the united states in 1959, robert franks the americans changed the course of twentiethcentury photography. He is perhaps best known for the photography collection the americans 1959, with an introduction by jack kerouac. In eightythree photographs, frank looked beneath the surface of american life to reveal a people plagued by racism, illserved by their politicians, and rendered numb by a rapidly expanding. The following year grove press published the americans in new york with an introduction by jack kerouac the book was released in january 1960 like franks earlier books, the sequence of 83 pictures in the americans is nonnarrative and nonlinear.
Robert frank, influential photographer who captured the. Robert franks legendary photographs head to auction a rare set of 77 photographs from the book that transformed the way americans viewed the nation are being sold in. First edition of the photographers masterpiece with 83 blackandwhite fullpage photogravures. In eightythree photographs, frank looked beneath the surface of american life to reveal a people plagued by racism, illserved by their politicians, and rendered numb by a rapidly expanding culture of consumption. Robert frank international photography hall of fame. Inside robert franks the americans smithsonian magazine. His germanborn jewish father imported record players and radios. Ocean city, new jersey images of america arcadia publishing by esposito, frank j. An analysis of the photography of robert frank the 1950s seemed to be a decade hiding the realism of everyday life by highlighting the prosperity of a postwar era and the reachable american dream that was sought by those living in this decade. One of the most acclaimed photographers of the 20th century, robert frank is best known for his seminal book the americans, featuring photographs taken by the artist in the mid1950s as he traveled across the u.
Published to accompany a major exhibition at the national gallery of art, the san francisco museum of modern art and the metropolitan museum of art, looking in. Born in 1924 in zurich, switzerland, robert frank was raised in comfortable, middleclass surroundings. First published in france in 1958, then in the united states in 1959, robert franks the americans changed the course of twentiethcentury photography. Robert frank, born november 9, 1924, zurich, switzerlanddied september 9, 2019, inverness, nova scotia, canada, swiss american photographer and director who was one of the most influential photographers of the mid20th century, noted for his ironic renderings of american life. Robert frank biography western connecticut state university. In robert frank 83 were ultimately published as the americans 1959, a photographic book with an introduction by the american novelist jack kerouac. The americans by robert frank, first edition abebooks. There his bold photographs brought him to the attention of the legendary art director of harpers bazaar, alexey brodovich, and frank was hired as a roving fashion photographer. Although not immediately evident, the americans is constructed in four sections. Contemporary artist and photographer ed ruscha said. The americans is a photographic book by robert frank which was highly influential in postwar american photography. How robert franks the americans broke the rules of. An outsiders view of america that contrasted the nature of photojournalism in every.
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