Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, acquires 38 Photographs by Robert Frank

These works represent the moment in 1949 when Swiss-born Frank returned to Europe following two years in New York City, with new perspectives and inspiration. In Paris, he observed and immortalized often unexpected scenes, while projecting abstract emotions and deep reflection onto Parisian objects and cityscapes, earning him the reputation of “a poet with a camera.” The acquisition includes 34 photographs gifted by The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation and an additional four purchased with funds donated by John and Cynthia Reed.

The newly acquired photographs will be on view in the exhibition Robert Frank: Mary's Book, celebrating the centennial of the artist’s birth. Displayed alongside the personal scrapbook Frank made for his first wife, titled Mary’s Book, the photographs contextualize the album, providing a window into the artist’s creative process. Mary’s Book was created in 1949 for Mary Lockspeiser and consists of 75 small photographs with Frank’s written inscriptions. They reveal his appreciation for the poetic resonance of objects and spaces. Many of the photographs are devoid of people, although their presence is felt everywhere. Frank muses on the chairs and streets of Paris with messages interspersed for Mary. This one-of-a-kind, handmade album represents a formative moment in Frank’s career as he experiments with text and image juxtaposition.

“We are thrilled to add these important photographs to the Museum’s collection which give insight into Frank’s career while contributing to our ability to tell the story of artistic transatlantic connections,” said Kristen Gresh, Estrellita and Yousuf Karsh Senior Curator of Photographs. “We are deeply grateful to The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation for their gift, and to John and Cynthia Reed for their donation that made this acquisition possible.”