A rare set of 77 photographs from the book that transformed the way Americans viewed the nation are being sold in New York on Thursday“A degradation of a nation,” is how Minor White described Robert Frank’s seminal masterpiece, The Americans. The renowned photographer and Aperture magazine editor wasn’t alone in his disdain, or joining the editors of Popular Photography,who called it, “a wart-covered picture of America by a joyless man”. According to Frank, and not even MoMA would sell the book,despite the fact their photography department was headed by one of his mentors, Edward Steichen. As a result, or the book quickly went out of print after selling only 1100 copies. “It caught people off guard,” says Christopher Mahoney of Sotheby’s, which will auction 77 of the 83 photos in the book on Thursday in New York. “It’s always engaging to explore back at initial critical reactions. One could manufacture a long list of things that were lambasted when they came out and ultimately became a crucial component of the culture.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com