SFMOMA
151 3rd St
415.357.4000
This event has passed.
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Robert Frank, Charleston, South Carolina, 1955; Collection of Susan and Peter MacGill; © Robert Frank
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- When
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May 16, 2009 – Aug 23, 2009
Mondays–Tuesdays (11am–5:45pm)
Thursdays (11am–8:45pm)
Fridays–Sundays (11am–5:45pm)
- Where
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- Price
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$12.50
- Links
In his introduction to The Americans, photographer Robert Frank's monumental, mid-century portrait of his adopted country, Beat poet Jack Kerouac wrote, "Frank […] sucked a sad poem right out of America onto film, taking rank among the tragic poets of the world." That sad poem — related in hollow political rituals, weathered faces, and expressive hands — spans 83 photos, chosen from more than 20,000 Frank took in 1955 and 1956 while crisscrossing the country. America didn't like what Frank chose to reflect back at it then (initial reviews of the book were scathing), but 50 years on — and with a new Frank-approved edition, which this exhibit celebrates — his images still unsettle, disorient, discomfort, and surprise with not only their sadness, but also their strange beauty.
