ROBERT FRANK (1924–2019) Lot n° 54

ROBERT FRANK (1924-2019) | 'Candy Store, 86th Street', New York City 1955 Image Size: 20,1 x 30,3 cm English: Gelatin silver print on double-weight semi-matte paper 27,6 x 35,5, printed in 1979, in very good condition. Signed "Robert Frank" and dated "NYC 1955" in the lower margin in ink, "Robert Frank Archive" stamp numbered "10, 7.30" in pencil, copyright stamp with photographer's signature and print date "1979" in ink on the reverse. PROVENANCE Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, 1995. LITERATURE Robert Frank, The Americans, Paris 1958, no. 10; Sarah Greenough (ed.), Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans, Washington 2009, p. 221, 463, Contact no. 10; Ute Eskildsen, Robert Frank: HOLD STILL_keep going, p. 82. Robert Frank punctuated his seminal 1958 book "The Americans" with resonant visual motifs repeated strategically throughout, including the American flag, the automobile, and, as in the image offered here, the jukebox. The jukebox was a feature Frank encountered in bars, restaurants, and diners in his cross-country travels. With their sleek curves and glowing facades, jukeboxes were undeniably photogenic and provided the pulsating new sounds of rock-and-roll. For Frank, a congregation of teenagers crowding around a music machine was a quintessentially American motif. An additional print of this image is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. German: Silver gelatin print on semi-matte "double weight" paper 27.6 x 35.5, printed 1979, in very good condition. Signed "Robert Frank" and dated "NYC 1955" in ink at lower margin, "Robert Frank Archive" stamp on verso, "10, 7.30" inserted in pencil, copyright stamp with photographer's signature and print date "1979". PROVENANCE Bonni Benrubi Gallery, New York, 1995. LITERATURE Robert Frank, The Americans, Paris 1958, no. 10; Sarah Greenough (ed.), Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans, Washington 2009, pp. 221, 463, Contact no. 10; Ute Eskildsen, Robert Frank: HOLD STILL_keep going, p. 82. Robert Frank's seminal 1958 book The Americans contains several paradigmatic motifs that recur throughout at strategic positions, including the American flag, the automobile, and, as here, the jukebox. Frank encountered the latter everywhere on his travels across the country in bars, restaurants, and diners. With their flashing lights and sleek curves, jukeboxes were undeniably photogenic, plus they spread the vibrant new sounds of rock-and-roll. For Frank, a gathering of teenagers crowded around a jukebox was the quintessence of a quintessentially American motif. Another print of this image is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.