Robert Frank (born Nov 9, 1924) is a Swiss photograher and documentary filmmaker, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1947. He is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of photography.
His monograph “The Americans”, first published in 1958, is one of the most influential photo books of all-time. It features photographs taken by Robert Frank in the mid-1950s as he traveled across the U.S. on a Guggenheim fellowship. Text for this book was written by the American novelist Jack Kerouac.
In the 1950s, Frank was a regular contributor to Harper’s Bazaar, but later turned his focus from still images to filmmaking.
Perhaps Frank’s best-known film is Cocksucker blues . It chronicled The Rolling Stones
american tour 1972 in support of their album “Exile on Main Street”. The film was embargoed by the band and banned by censors. In 1977, Frank went to court and won the right to exhibit Cocksucker Blues four
times a year, on the condition that the filmmaker himself was present.
I have been frequently accused of deliberately twisting subject matter to my point of view. Above all, I know that life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference. Opinion often consists of a kind of criticism. But criticism can come out of love. It is important to see what is invisible to others. Perhaps the look of hope or the look of sadness. Also, it is always the instantaneous reaction to oneself that produces a photograph. – Robert Frank
Kate Loran 