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Lot Essay
Dear Walker – I hope that you feel all right. Not because it's Christmas - just in general. The house we rent stands on a hill in Hollywood. The view is beautiful any time and more so when the fog comes. It is a simple house which you would like. If you can, try to come here - you would do Mary a great favor. After the trip across the country I am glad to stay here for awhile. I think my photographs on this trip are better than the ones you have seen. I keep on taking pictures - I guess its lucky I am so stubborn. What do you do? And how do you do? I will soon write you a more inspiring letter but the spirit of Christianity prevents me from doing it tonight. Bonsoir Monsieur Evans
In late December of 1955, Robert Frank was in the midst of travelling throughout the United States—an opportunity that wouldn’t have come to fruition without the help of his friend and mentor, Walker Evans. By 1955, Walker Evans was already in his mid-50s and well established in his career as a photographer, particularly following his solo exhibition in 1938 at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Titled, Walker Evans: American Photographs, this was MoMA’s first ever show dedicated to a single photographer. From factory towns to farmlands, and the hardworking people within them, Evans captured the ordinary routines of his fellow citizens. This documentary approach to photography would go on to influence the next generation, including the likes of a young Swiss immigrant, Robert Frank.
Initially meeting sometime in 1953, Robert Frank began showing his work to Walker Evans, who was immediately impressed. With Evans serving as a photography consultant for the Guggenheim Foundation, he pushed Frank to apply for a grant, even going so far as to write a recommendation letter for his young mentee stating, ‘this man is probably the most gifted of the younger photographers today.’ By 1954, Frank had applied for a fellowship to the Guggenheim Foundation and was accepted to photograph America, a project that would later lead to the highly influential book, The Americans.
The friendship between these two artists continued for many years, with images of them together and a number of letter correspondences living on.The letter in the lot offered here is indeed a slice of history and acknowledges the special relationship between Frank, the protégé in the midst of making a name for himself and Evans, the mentor who was determined to nurture and guide the next generation.
Other letters to Evans from Frank during his travels with his Guggenheim grant are in the collection Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
In late December of 1955, Robert Frank was in the midst of travelling throughout the United States—an opportunity that wouldn’t have come to fruition without the help of his friend and mentor, Walker Evans. By 1955, Walker Evans was already in his mid-50s and well established in his career as a photographer, particularly following his solo exhibition in 1938 at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Titled, Walker Evans: American Photographs, this was MoMA’s first ever show dedicated to a single photographer. From factory towns to farmlands, and the hardworking people within them, Evans captured the ordinary routines of his fellow citizens. This documentary approach to photography would go on to influence the next generation, including the likes of a young Swiss immigrant, Robert Frank.
Initially meeting sometime in 1953, Robert Frank began showing his work to Walker Evans, who was immediately impressed. With Evans serving as a photography consultant for the Guggenheim Foundation, he pushed Frank to apply for a grant, even going so far as to write a recommendation letter for his young mentee stating, ‘this man is probably the most gifted of the younger photographers today.’ By 1954, Frank had applied for a fellowship to the Guggenheim Foundation and was accepted to photograph America, a project that would later lead to the highly influential book, The Americans.
The friendship between these two artists continued for many years, with images of them together and a number of letter correspondences living on.The letter in the lot offered here is indeed a slice of history and acknowledges the special relationship between Frank, the protégé in the midst of making a name for himself and Evans, the mentor who was determined to nurture and guide the next generation.
Other letters to Evans from Frank during his travels with his Guggenheim grant are in the collection Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.