Robert Frank

Robert Frank was born on November 9, 1924, in Zurich, Switzerland. He studied French for a year at the Institut Jomini in Payerne before shifting to doing a several apprenticeships and positions as a photographer’s assistant, 1941-44. Frank moved to New York City, 1947, and was hired as a fashion photographer for Harper’s Bazaar. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1955 and took a two-year trip across America taking over 28,000 photographs. Eighty-three were then selected for his groundbreaking monograph, The Americans, situating his position of cultural prominence in the United States and abroad. In 1959, Frank began making films. His documentary of the Rolling Stones in 1972 is perhaps his most famous film. Frank has held several exhibitions including his first solo show at the Art Institute of Chicago, 1961; Kunsthaus in Zurich exhibited his first retrospective in 1974, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1980. He currently lives in Zurich.

metmuseum.org

Robert Frank is featured in Edition: The Best of the Met

Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada (1955)
Charity Ball, New York City (1955-56)
Georgetown, South Carolina (1955)
London (1952)
New York City (1955-56)
Parade, Hoboken, New Jersey (1955-56)
Political Rally, Chicago (1956)
Ranch Market, Hollywood (1955-56)
Rodeo, New York City (1955)