Robert Frank (American, born Switzerland, 1924) "Rodeo—New York City, 1954" gelatin silver print 33.7 x 21.3 cm (13 1/4 x 8 3/8 in.) Collection of Barbara and Eugene Schwartz Photograph © Robert Frank, from "The Americans"

Robert Frank (American, born Switzerland, 1924) "Trolley—New Orleans, 1955" gelatin silver print 21.9 x 33.2 cm (8 5/8 x 13 1/16 in.) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gilman Collection, Purchase, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee Gift, 2005 (2005.100.454) Photograph © Robert Frank, from "The Americans"

Robert Frank (American, born Switzerland, 1924) "Elevator—Miami Beach, 1955" gelatin silver print 31.4 x 47.8 cm (12 3/8 x 18 13/16 in.) Philadelphia Museum of Art, Purchased with funds contributed by Dorothy Norman, 1969 Photograph © Robert Frank, from "The Americans"

I’m very excited about this one: From September 2009 thru January 2010, The Met will exhibit Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans. The exhibit will celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Americans, Franks’ famous book of black and white photos made on a beat-inflected cross-country road trip from 1955-56. Initially criticized for his depiction of American life (considering racism, corruption and consumerism, among other issues), his series was soon recognized as a masterpiece of street photography, a study of both the country’s vastness and its volatile culture.

According to the museum, Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans features all 83 photographs from Frank’s original book. In total, the show will feature more than 100 photographs, 17 books, and 15 manuscripts, as well as 28 contact sheets made from the artist’s negatives. Remarkably, the Metropolitan’s exhibition will be the first time that this body of work is presented in its entirety to a NY audience.

Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
For more information, visit www.metmuseum.org

Clic Gallery presents a new show called “Store Front” by James and Karla Murray, a photographic survey documenting New York City’s fast disappearing mom-and-pop shops.

The accomplished artist/author duo spent over 10 years photographing the storied storefronts of family-run shops throughout the city. According to Clic Gallery, “From cheerful Italian bakeries with hand-painted murals to the dingy dive bar that became a local institution, the Murrays’ bright photographs are a striking visual record of how colorful and idiosyncratic each block of New York’s streetscape once was.”

Preview images reveal both richness and simplicity, as well as the Murrays’ talent for conveying a moving intimacy with subjects. Many of the shops photographed have since closed, pushed out by larger chains. “Store Front” opens in two weeks, running July 15th through August 30th, 2009. The companion book to the show, “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York” (Gingko Press, 2008), is for sale at Clic Bookstore.

Artist Bio: James and Karla Murray are specialists in urban photography. They have co-authored two books on New York City graffiti art, “Broken Windows-Graffiti NYC” (Gingko Press 2002) and “Burning New York” (Gingko 2006). Their work has been the subject of exhibitions at the New-York Historical Society and the Brooklyn Historical Society, and is part of the permanent collections of the Smithsonian and the New York Public Library.

Images courtesy of Clic Gallery.
For more information, visit Clic Gallery or James and Karla Murray.