American Witness: The Art and Life of Robert Frank

Robert Frank was born and raised in wartime Switzerland, where he discovered photography's power at an early age. Valuing art above money, success, or fame, he committed himself to a lifetime of creative pursuit. In 1947, Frank left Switzerland for the United States, settling in bohemian New York during the 1950s and 1960s. He developed friendships with figures including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Walker Evans, Willem de Kooning, Jonas Mekas, Bob Dylan, Ornette Coleman, and Charles Mingus. Traveling across the country with his family, Frank took approximately 27,000 photographs. He selected 83 of these for *The Americans*, his most renowned work, which presented an unfamiliar portrait of American life. Though initially criticized for depicting a divided nation, the collection eventually gained recognition as a transformative vision of America. Frank subsequently abandoned photography to become a filmmaker and video maker, helping establish American independent cinema in the 1960s and creating a notable film with the Rolling Stones. Now a nonagenarian, Frank remains defined by restless creativity and a commitment to originality, never repeating himself throughout his career.