The Swiss born American photographer, Robert Frank died yesterday at his summer home in Nova Scotia. His photography not only had a great influence on street photography and photography in general, but also on the way that we see America.
Frank is perhaps best known for his book The Americans with 83 photos that present the viewer with some of the most iconic images of Americans. It’s impossible for me to see a black and white photo of an American flag without thinking of Frank. He presented us with a radical vision of who we are.
I was very fortunate to meet Frank this year outside of his apartment on Bleecker Street here in New York City. I thanked him for his contribution to photography and asked him if I could take the photo that is included here. We shook hands.
His work will be remembered and admired for generations to come. If you’re not familiar with his work there is much to discover. I hope that you will find it as illuminating about American culture as do I.
