This exhibition celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Americans, Robert Frank’s influential suite of black-and-white photographs made on a cross-country road trip in 1955–56. Although Frank’s depiction of American life was criticized when the book was released in the U.S. in 1959, it soon became recognized as a masterpiece of street photography. Born in Switzerland in 1924, Frank is considered one of the great living masters of photography. The exhibition will feature all 83 photographs published in The Americans and will be the first time that this body of work is presented to a New York audience.
U.S. 285, New Mexico, 1955
Gelatin silver print; 13 1/4 x 8 5/8 in. (33.7 x 21.9 cm)
I have to admit i had only vaugly heard of The Americans as photographic book so it was an interesting surprise to see the entire book layed out in print form. Robert Frank was a very interesting photographer, the way he depicted American society was radically different for the time period he was creating these images.
The image below was one of the most powerful for me in the whole exhibition. The way in which the focus is on the people rather than the starlet in the foreground, the way in which the camera is watching them watch her and we are watching them makes for an incredibly dynamic and striking image. The many layers of watched and watchers i think sets this image apart and it had a profound impact on me for its simplicity but effective nature.
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