Robert Frank

(American/Swiss, 1924–2019)

Robert Frank is a Swiss-born American filmmaker and photographer. Characterized by their pointed and complex critique of American culture and society, his images often capture people in the throes of daily life. “There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment,” he once explained. “This kind of photography is realism. But realism is not enough—there has to be vision, and the two together can make a good photograph.” Born on November 9, 1924 in Zürich, Switzerland, he began studying photography in 1941, and subsequently worked for commercial studios around Switzerland over the next 6 years. In 1947, Frank emigrated to the United States where he was hired by Alexey Brodovitch to produce fashion photos for Harper’s Bazaar. Over the next five years, he produced work for a number of other publications such as LIFE and Vogue. With the aid of his colleague and mentor, Walker Evans, Frank was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. During his fellowship, he traveled throughout the United States, documenting the wide spectrum of its populace. This journey would form the backbone of his work thereafter, leading to the seminal photobook The Americans(1958). Frank subsequently had solo exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1961 and The Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1962. Since 1970, the artist has split his time between New York, NY and Nova Scotia, Canada. Today, his photographs are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Kunsthaus Zürich, among others.

Robert Frank Artworks

Robert Frank (2,119 results)
Group of Ladies, Possibly California, 1950–1969

Robert Frank

Group of Ladies, Possibly California, 1950–1969

Sale Date: January 23, 2015

Auction Closed

Contact Sheet, Switzerland, 1945–1946

Robert Frank

Contact Sheet, Switzerland, 1945–1946

Sale Date: January 23, 2015

Auction Closed

Indianapolis, 1956

Robert Frank

Indianapolis, 1956

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

London, 1951

Robert Frank

London, 1951

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

South Carolina (Charleston), 1955–1956

Robert Frank

South Carolina (Charleston), 1955–1956

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Sick of Goodby's, 1978

Robert Frank

Sick of Goodby's, 1978

Sale Date: November 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Valencia, Spain, 1970–1979

Robert Frank

Valencia, Spain, 1970–1979

Sale Date: November 26, 2014

Auction Closed

Detroit, 1955

Robert Frank

Detroit, 1955

Sale Date: November 14, 2014

Auction Closed

Paris, 1949

Robert Frank

Paris, 1949

Sale Date: November 14, 2014

Auction Closed

Paris, France, 1952

Robert Frank

Paris, France, 1952

Sale Date: November 13, 2014

Auction Closed

Nude (Marie) with Cat, 1950

Robert Frank

Nude (Marie) with Cat, 1950

Sale Date: November 13, 2014

Auction Closed

Savannah, Georgia, 1955

Robert Frank

Savannah, Georgia, 1955

Sale Date: November 18, 2014

Auction Closed

Ben James, Welsh Miner, 1953

Robert Frank

Ben James, Welsh Miner, 1953

Sale Date: November 18, 2014

Auction Closed

Flowers is, 1987

Robert Frank

Flowers is, 1987

Sale Date: November 21, 2014

Auction Closed

London, 1952

Robert Frank

London, 1952

Sale Date: November 14, 2014

Auction Closed

Times Square, N.Y.C, 1961

Robert Frank

Times Square, N.Y.C, 1961

Sale Date: October 28, 2014

Auction Closed

A bench and the sea, Nova Scotia, 2003

Robert Frank

A bench and the sea, Nova Scotia, 2003

Sale Date: October 17, 2014

Auction Closed

Casper, Wyoming, 1956

Robert Frank

Casper, Wyoming, 1956

Sale Date: October 17, 2014

Auction Closed

Neon cocktail glass, 1955

Robert Frank

Neon cocktail glass, 1955

Sale Date: October 17, 2014

Auction Closed

Hoboken, 1955

Robert Frank

Hoboken, 1955

Sale Date: September 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Tennessee, 1955

Robert Frank

Tennessee, 1955

Sale Date: October 1, 2014

Auction Closed

Fête Foraine, Paris, 1950

Robert Frank

Fête Foraine, Paris, 1950

Sale Date: October 1, 2014

Auction Closed

En Route from New York to Washington, Club Car, 1957

Robert Frank

En Route from New York to Washington, Club Car, 1957

Sale Date: October 1, 2014

Auction Closed

Chicago, 1956

Robert Frank

Chicago, 1956

Sale Date: October 1, 2014

Auction Closed