Robert Frank: Books and Films, 1947-2017

The tour of “Robert Frank: Books and Films, 1947-2017” continues! In Texas the unconventional traveling exhibition will be on view at Houston Center for Photography.

Conceived by Robert Frank and Gerhard Steidl, “Robert Frank: Books and Films, 1947-2017” shows Frank’s work in photos, books and films in a direct accessible manner. Frank’s images are printed on sheets of newsprint and hung on the walls. Frank’s films and videos, which are so often overshadowed by his photographic work, are shown on small portable “beamers”, projecting them directly onto the walls.

Each exhibition is to be disposed of after display, thus circumventing the normal cycle of speculation and consumption in the art market. When the idea for this pop-up show first reached Frank in his small, crooked house in the Canadian village of Mabou, he said: “Cheap, quick, and dirty, that’s how I like it!”

The unconventional catalogue for the exhibition is a special edition of the renowned German daily newspaper the Süddeutsche Zeitung–following its original design and format, and printed on recycled
newsprint.

Founded in 1981, Houston Center for Photography is a nonprofit organization offering year-round exhibitions, workshops, publications, outreach programs, lectures, and classes, and home to an on-site library housing more than 2,500 books on photography as well as a state of the art digital darkroom. HCP’s mission is to increase society’s understanding and appreciation of photography and its evolving role in contemporary culture.

The exhibition’s next venue will be Blue Sky Gallery, Portland (January 5-February 25, 2018) before continuing to visit over 30 further cities around the globe.

Opening Reception: Friday, December 8, 2017, 5.30pm–8pm
With a talk by Gerhard Steidl about the exhibition and his work with Robert Frank

Panel discussion: Saturday, December 9: 11:00am–12:30pm
„Inspired by Robert Frank: Publishing the Photobook in the 21st Century“
Moderated by Ashlyn Davis, executive director, Houston Center for Photography, introduced by Jon Evans, chief librarian and archivist, MFAH
panelists will include
- Alejandro Cartagena, photographer and editor
- Manfred Heiting, designer, editor, and collector
- Kevin Messina, publisher and editor
- Gerhard Steidl, printer and publisher
The Museum of Fine Arts, Law Building, 1001 Bissonnet Street, Houston
Tickets can be purchased through MFA