PRESS RELEASE

July 2024《 1 1丁目》1951 年
11th St., 1951
© The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation

Robert Frank Centennial Exhibition

Why Don't We Talk About
Photography Once Again?
Sat. July 6 - Sun. September 29, 2024
10.00-17:00 (entry -16:30)

Frank and His Contemporaries

Open Daily, closed on Tuesdays in September

Adults 800 Yen (600 Yen) University Students and Under Free() for group over 20 people

Family (2 to 6 members) 1200 Yen

Organized by Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts Committee Support by Shinnyo-en

2024. 7.6［土 ］--- 9.29［日］開 館 時 間：10:00 ～ 17:00（ 入館は 16:30 まで）休 館日：7 月・8 月は無休 毎週火曜日
入 館 料：一 般 800 円（600円 ）大学生以下無料（ ）内は 20 名様以上の団体料金 家族割引 1200 円（2～6 名様まで）
主催／清里フォトアートミュージアム委員会

特別協賛／真如苑（社会貢献基金）

ロバート・フランク 生 誕 1 00 周年記念展

Pres s Images

132
1. ≪11 丁目≫ 1951 年
11th Street，1951© The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation

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2. ≪パリ≫ 1950 年
Paris，1950© The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation
3. ≪テネシー州チャタヌーガ≫ 1955 年
Chattanooga, Tennessee，1955© The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation
4. ≪リバー・ルージュの自動車工場 デトロイト≫ 1954 年
River Rouge Plant, Detroit，1954© The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation
5. ≪チューリッヒ≫ 1952 年
Zurich，1952© The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation52

Robert Frank Centennial Exhibition “Why Donʼt We Talk about Photography Once Again? RobertFrank and his Contemporaries” will be on view at the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts from
Saturday, July 6th through Sunday, September 6th, 2024.

Robert Frank's emergence was an eye-opener in the photographic circle in the 1950ʼs.

Born in 1924 in his homeland, Switzerland, he began his career as a photographer after

studying the media back home. In around 1947 he started taking “street photography” whichhad eventually fruited in his renowned book “The Americans” which was published in 1959 in theUS and made his name monumental.

This year marks Robert Frankʼs Centennial Anniversary. Since its foundation in 1995, KMoPA has
been encouraging photographers under age 35 by acuisiting their work to the permanentcollection. Robert Frank is no exception, and in our permanent collection holds his early works thatare mostly vintage prints.

With this work we had held a major one-man exhibition in 2019 under

his auspices, only to be struck by the devastating news of his passing during the exhibition.

Thisyear we will be celebrating Robert Frankʼs centennial of his birth by exhibiting his work along withhis contemporariesʼ work created in the 1950ʼs, which had opened a new chapter in the history ofstreet photography.

Robert Frank

Born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1947. Moved to New York at the age of 23. Worked as fashion photographer
for various magazines, at the same time traveled to South America and Europe to take personal

photographs. Granted Guggenheim Fellowship in 1955 and 1956 to photograph across the United Statesthat resulted in his most famous book "The Americans." Switched to film making after 1958. He died on
September 9, 2019 at age 94 at his home in Nova Scotia during his exhibition at KMoPA.

Exhibition Contents

78 original prints by Robert Frank taken between 1948-1960 in the US, Peru, France, Spain, England andSwitzerland, mostly unpublished in any of his books.

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[Also On View : 20 Contemporaries / 70 works by: ]Werner Bischof, Robert Doisneau, Ed van der Elsken, Elliott Erwitt, Eikoh Hosoe, YasuhiroIshimoto, IZIS, André Kertész, Kikuji Kawada, William Klein, O. Wisnton Link, Jun Miki, IkkoNarahara, Shigeichi Nagano, David Seymour "Chim", W. Eugene Smith, Takeyoshi Tanuma, Shomei
Tomatsu, Weegee, Dan Weiner

Invented around 190 years ago, photography has developed in various areas over the time.
Documentary photography, thanks to the photograph’s primary nature of recording andcommunicating, has evolved since the beginning of 20th Century with the invention of small
cameras. Photography in 1950’s is revisited by focusing on works from Japan, USA and Europe
taken in the decade, at the same time, celebrating the turbulence brought by Robert Frank tothe history of photography.

Highlights"Tokyo" by William Klein

William Klien was another game changer in the street photography in the '50s.

While many of theactive photographers in the US were emigré from Europe, Klein, native to New York, wasan American in Paris, with views towards outside.
1961, "Tokyo" will be on view.

20 prints from his signature work fromDelpire and European Photographers

Robert Frank's "The Americans" was first published in France by editor Robert Delpire. Delpire
was not familiar with any photographers from the US at the time.
He had worked withEuropean photographers including Elsken, IZIS, and Doisneau, whose work will be on view. RobertFrank's first book, also edited by Delpire, was published with another Swiss photographer, WernerBischof.

Emigré photographers in the US

Many photographers active in the US at the time, including Robert Frank, were immigrants fromEurope. Weegee, born in Ukraine, utilized police radio and worked on news photography. André
Kertész, born in Hungary, is considered as "Father of Modern Photography." Elliott Erwitt,born in France, was Frank's friend over the years.
What seemed "American" were visualized
by eyes of the outsiders.

Meanwhile, there were native American photographers, too...

O. Winston Link, native American, became specialist in railway photography. Do not miss "Spanish
Village" and portrait of Dr. Albert Schweitzer by American born W. Eugene Smith.

And in Japan,

Yasuhiro Ishimoto's return from Chicago to Japan in 1953 may have triggered a new wave in theJapanese photography circle. Also on view will include early prints by photographers who
founded "VIVO" afterwards, which was a group of photographers who brought new era tothe post war Japanese photography scenes.

4Events Information during the Exhibition :Please visit KMoPA HP http://www.kmopa.com/ newsroom, or see following:・Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kmopa/・X
https://twitter.com/kmopa
・Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kmopa2024/
About KMoPA

Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts=KMoPA was founded as a photography museum in
Hokuto-city, Yamanashi-prefecture in 1995, . Photographer Eikoh Hosoe is the Director,
and photographer Masato Seto is the Deputy Director.
With the following 3 principles, KMoPA celebrates its 30th anniversary year in 2025.
1. Affirmation of Life
2. Eternal Platinum Prints
3. Photographs by the Next Generation : Young Portfolio* Young Portfolio (YP) is the only cultural support activity for photographers under age 35 in the world.

For Inquires and Press Image Requests
Junko Ogawa june.ogawa@kmopa.com

Address
3545-1222 Kiyosato, Takane-cho, Hokuto-shi Yamanashi 407-0301, Japan
TEL:0551-48-5599

DirectonBy carBy train

Chuo Expressway, 20 minutes from Sutama Exit.
JR Chuo Line to Kobuchizawa Station, and transfer to JR Koumi Lineto to Kiyosato Station;

10 minutes by taxi from Kiyosato Station.
ParkingFree parking spaces are available for 45 cars and 6 buses.

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