Aperture announces the release of
Robert Frank: The Americans
, marking the centennial of Frank’s birth, and concurrent with a major
exhibition of his work at the Museum of Modern Art this fall. First published in
France in 1958 and then in the US in 1959, Robert Frank: The Americans is one of the most influential
and enduring works of American photography.
This edition of The Americans is a celebrated return of an iconic title to Aperture’s
catalog, more than a half-century after the Aperture and Museum of Modern Art
edition was published in 1968. Maintaining the finest tritone printing from the
2008 edition, of which Frank was personally involved in every step of the design and
production, the new Aperture release also retains the original introduction by Beat
poet and novelist Jack Kerouac, imprinting the reach and impact of Frank’s work
upon broader cultural consciousness.
“Frank’s point of view—at once startling and tenacious—is imbued with humanity
and lyricism, painting a searing portrait of a nation full of promise and contradiction.
This is a timeless book that shows the power of photography to shine a probing light
on the world around us,” said Sarah Meister, Executive Director, Aperture.
“With
generous support from the June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation in recognition of
Aperture’s established history of publishing excellence—and the challenges Frank
faced finding a publisher as a young artist—we are grateful for the opportunity to
bring this title back into print, ensuring that new generations will have access to one
of the most significant photobooks of all time.”
The Swiss-born artist won back-to-back Guggenheim Fellowships in 1955 and
1956 and set out on what would become a 10,000-mile road trip throughout the
United States, capturing American life with a poetic and critical eye. The exquisitely
sequenced book of eighty-three images unveils facets of American life that had
previously gone unacknowledged or uncelebrated: confronting its audience with the
superficial allure of Hollywood or an underbelly of racial inequality and injustice, it
is also interspersed with images conveying the gleaming beauty and pathos of the
chrome surfaces in a diner or the jukebox in a roadside bar. Taken as a whole, The
Americans captures the aspirations and the stark reality of the American Dream.
Frank’s exacting vision, distinct style, and poetic insight changed the course of
twentieth-century art and influenced subsequent generations of photographers,
including Dawoud Bey, Lee Friedlander, Nan Goldin, Danny Lyon, Joel Meyerowitz,
Ed Ruscha, and Garry Winogrand. Now extolled as one of the most groundbreaking
photobooks ever published, The Americans remains as powerful and provocative as it
was upon publication and continues to resonate with audiences today.
The release coincides with a major retrospective,
Life Dances On: Robert Frank in Dialogue
, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, from September 15, 2024,
through January 11, 2025.
A special slipcased edition of 1,500 copies will also be offered exclusively by
Aperture. The limited edition includes a collectible booklet showcasing Frank’s
early films, which had been included only in the 1968 and 1969 Aperture releases
of The Americans. Both the hardcover and slipcased editions of Robert Frank: The
Americans are available at aperture.org/books.
Robert Frank (born in Zurich, Switzerland, 1924; died in Nova Scotia, Canada,
2019) was a Swiss-born American photographer and documentary filmmaker whose
other books include The Lines of My Hand (1972); Hold Still, Keep Going (2001); and
London/Wales (2003). His equally heralded films include Pull My Daisy (1959) and
Cocksucker Blues (1972). His work The Americans is arguably the most
famous photography book of all time.
Jack Kerouac (born in Lowell, Massachusetts, 1922; died in St. Petersburg, Florida,
1969) was an American novelist, writer, poet, and artist, best known for his novel On
the Road (1957). He was a leading voice of the Beat Generation in the 1950s.
Robert Frank: The Americans is made possible thanks to the ongoing collaboration and
support from the
June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation.
About Aperture
Aperture is a nonprofit publisher that leads conversations around photography worldwide.
From our base in New York, Aperture connects global audiences and supports artists
through our acclaimed quarterly magazine, books, exhibitions, digital platforms, public
programs, limited-edition prints, and awards. Established in 1952 to advance “creative
thinking, significantly expressed in words and photographs,” Aperture champions
photography’s vital role in nurturing curiosity and encouraging a more just, tolerant
society. For more information on Aperture, visit:
aperture.org
Aperture’s programs and operations are made possible by the generosity of our board
of trustees, our members, and other individuals, and with major support from 7G
Foundation, Charina Endowment Fund, Documentary Arts, Horace W. Goldsmith
Foundation, Ishibashi Foundation, Joy of Giving Something, Anne Levy Charitable Trust,
Henry Luce Foundation, Mailman Foundation, MurthyNAYAK Foundation, Grace Jones
Richardson Trust, San Francisco Foundation, Thomas R. Schiff Foundation, Jane Smith
Turner Foundation, Stuart B. Cooper and R. L. Besson, Kate Cordsen and Denis O’Leary,
Thomas and Susan Dunn, Michael Sonnenfeldt, Jon Stryker and Slobodan Randjelovic,
National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in
partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts, with support of
the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
