Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans

Parrworld: the Collection of Martin Parr recently closed at the Jeu de Paume in Paris. It’s the physical equivalent to his recent Aperture title of the same name. Though known as a photographer and member of the Magnum Photo Agency, very few of his images are on display in the show. (However, there is a set of large weather-friendly photographs set outside the gallery that he took. This selection, in his signature style, depicts the awkward, unsavory, sometimes monstrous slices-of-life from modern society. ) Inside the gallery, objects from Parr’s personal collection of things— wristwatches adorned with the visage of Saddam Hussein, Margaret Thatcher teapots, and area rugs recounting the events of September 11—are on display. In addition to the wacky artifacts, the show also includes images from Parr’s photograph collection from names like Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank.

Which leads me to why I’m even writing this post. Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans just opened at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Americans. Frank, a Swiss native, took a cross-country trek across this country in the mid-1950s and documented what life was like back then. His imagery is quiet and beautiful, and highlighted an American truth that only an outsider could see. Upon publication, it was panned. Now, it’s considered to be a masterpiece. The Wall Street Journal described Frank as one who continued the legacy of Walker Evans. Need I say more? The exhibition runs through January 3, 2010.