Guggenheim 763--New York City 1956

Robert Frank made this contact sheet, Guggenheim 763--New York City, with gelatin silver print. Isn't it amazing how Frank’s work, even just a contact sheet, feels so raw? He wasn't precious. It’s like he’s saying, "Here’s the evidence of my looking, take it or leave it." Look at the variety of images, all those little frames packed together. There’s a spontaneity that’s almost frantic. You can see his curiosity and restlessness. He wants to capture everything. Think about how this relates to earlier documentary photographers like Walker Evans, who was more formal and composed. Frank's work is like a punk rock version of that! The way he embraces the accidental and the imperfect, it’s a precursor to so much contemporary art. It’s like, forget perfection, let’s get real.