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In Memoriam: Robert Frank (1924–2019)

September 17 – October 2, 2019
East Building, Concourse

Robert Frank, Trolley—New Orleans, 1955, gelatin silver print, Gift of Maria and Lee Friedlander, 2001.8.1 
© Robert Frank, from The Americans

This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.

In memory of Robert Frank, who died at age 94 on September 9, 2019, a special installation of five of the influential artist’s photographs made between 1952 and 1993 highlights the evolution of Frank’s art—from his groundbreaking early images that evocatively captured his response to the world around him to his later diaristic pictures that pushed the boundaries of contemporary photography.

Included in the installation are two of his most celebrated early pictures: London (1952–1953), of a child running away from a hearse, and Trolley—New Orleans (1955), his poignant yet searing depiction of racism from his seminal book The Americans. Also displayed are three of his later pictures: Hold Still—Keep Going (1989), which alludes to the ways in which photography seeks to hold back the passage of time; End of Dream (1992), a unique composite work consisting of multiple color and black-and-white prints made at his home in Nova Scotia; and New York City, 7 Bleecker Street (1993), a self-portrait he made for the Gallery’s 1994 exhibition Robert Frank: Moving Out.

In Memoriam: Robert Frank (1924–2019)

Robert Frank, London, 1952-1953, gelatin silver print, Robert Frank Collection, Gift of Robert Frank, 1990.28.4
In Memoriam: Robert Frank (1924–2019)

Robert Frank, Hold Still--Keep Going, 1989, gelatin silver print with acrylic paint, Robert Frank Collection, Gift of the Collectors Committee, 1992.103.4
In Memoriam: Robert Frank (1924–2019)

Robert Frank, End of Dream, 1992, 3 gelatin silver prints with 6 internal dye diffusion transfer prints (Polaroid SX-70), and green, black and red enamel paint, Robert Frank Collection, Gift of Robert Frank, 1996.147.8
In Memoriam: Robert Frank (1924–2019)

Robert Frank, New York City, 7 Bleecker Street, 1993, gelatin silver print, Robert Frank Collection, Gift of Robert Frank, 1994.37.3
This horizontal black and white photograph shows the exterior of a trolley car cropped to show only the mid-section with six passengers inside. The passengers look out of five windows on the left side of the trolley, so their bodies face our left in profile. The four people at the front end, to our left, are white; two people at the back, to our right, are Black. From left to right: a man looks out through the glass of the closed window along the left edge of the photograph. The remaining windows are open. An older woman wearing a dark coat looks at us from under arched eyebrows, lips pursed, out of the next window, to our right. A boy and a young girl look out of the central window. Closer inspection reveals the dark form of a woman next to them, lost in the shadowy interior of the trolley. In the next window, a Black man wearing a long-sleeved, button-down shirt leans onto the window ledge with both forearms, and, in the right-most window, a woman wearing glasses looks over her shoulder, up and away from us. That last window is cropped by the edge of the photograph. The scene behind us is reflected in glass panes above the seats on the exterior of the trolley.
In Memoriam: Robert Frank (1924–2019)

Robert Frank, Trolley—New Orleans, 1955, gelatin silver print, Gift of Maria and Lee Friedlander, 2001.8.1

Organization: Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington

Passes: Admission is always free and passes are not required

Robert Frank: In Memoriam

The Robert Frank Collection

Works by Robert Frank

Press Materials

Statement on the death of American photographer Robert Frank (1924–2019)

Transforming Destiny into Awareness: Robert Frank's "The Americans"
Audio, Released: February 3, 2009, (48:33 minutes)

Elson Lecture 2009: Robert Frank
Audio, Released: April 7, 2009, (61:06 minutes)

Looking In: Robert Frank's 'The Americans'
Audio, Released: January 13, 2009, (28:33 minutes)