Exhibition, “Robert Frank and Todd Webb: Across America, 1955” Now on View at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston

100 photographs chart the cross-country journeys of two photographers, who each captured singular views of America at mid-century

In April 1955, two photographers were awarded grants by the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, both for U.S. survey projects. One was Robert Frank, whose cross-country trip by car would result in the celebrated book The Americans. The other was Todd Webb, who at the age of 49, was awarded the grant to walk, boat and bike across the United States in order to depict “vanishing Americana, and the way of life that is taking its place.” On view starting October 8, 2023 and through January 7, 2024, this exhibition brings these simultaneous projects together for the first time.

In 1955, Todd Webb was part of art photography’s inner circle. Between 1946 and 1966, his work was included in 14 exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art alone. Robert Frank, in comparison was the young upstart determined to make his mark, and he would go on to become one of the most influential photographers to date.

These men, of different backgrounds and generations, embarked on cross-country journeys supported by Guggenheim Foundation funding. They chose different methods of travel, different photographic approaches and styles and were interested in different aspects of American culture. Knowing “‘the photographing of America’ is a large order,” they threw themselves into the impossible task anyway, eager to prove their artistry.

During their individual travels, both artists tended to capture images of bars, cowboys, crowds, odd architecture, parades, gravesites and trolleys. For both, a composition including the American flag was too potent to resist. While neither artist found the exact vision of America they expected, both men created photographs that mirrored their style and perspectives on American culture.

Frank’s shot-from-the-hip works captured movement with selected focus, his images conveying both stark reality and human compassion. The exhibition features both published and unpublished works from Frank’s The Americans. Webb’s never-before-seen before images are characterized by their focused stillness; their precise exposure and careful compositions suggest a patient humanity.

“I am enormously pleased that the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will bring together both Robert Frank’s and Todd Webb’s landmark 1955 projects for the first time, in this exhibition. The opportunity to compare the work of these influential photographers conveys the magnitude of their undertaking, and the complexity of their individual perspectives on an often-idealized era in America,” said Gary Tinterow, Director and Margaret Alkek Williams Chair of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

“It’s eye-opening to put these projects side-by-side for the first time,” noted exhibition organizer Lisa Volpe, MFAH Curator of Photography. “It reveals the humanity in Webb’s work, and the underrecognized, but profound hope in Frank’s photographs.”

Comparison of both Frank’s and Webb’s projects reveals more than any singular study could. The similarities clarify the context in which these projects were conceived and carried out. The differences highlight each artist’s approach and vision. More than one hundred images – 50 by each artist – illuminate Frank’s and Webb’s different perspectives and reveal the unvarnished state of American culture at mid-century.

Related Programming

CONVERSATIONS IN VERMONT: Directed by Robert Frank (USA, 1969, 26 min., digital)
Friday, December 8, 2:00 p.m. (B); Free with MFAH admission
Robert Frank’s relationship with his children Pablo (1951–1994) and Andrea (1953–1974) is explored in his first overtly autobiographical film. He visits them at a free school in rural Vermont where he interviews them about their feelings, their upbringing, and what it was
like to grow up in a bohemian world with parents who are artists. Restored by The Museum of Modern Art with support from the Celeste Bartos Fund for Film Preservation.

LIFE DANCES ON: Directed by Robert Frank (USA, 1980, 30 min., digital)
Friday, December 8, 2:30 p.m. (B); Free with MFAH admission
Life Dances On is composed of delicately balanced, intuitive moments that merge Frank’s mourning of the loss of two people very close to him with filmed portraits of others who share his life, including his family and people on the street in New York City. This moving
and personal film is dedicated to his daughter Andrea and his friend and collaborator Danny Seymour. Restored by The Museum of Modern Art with support from the Celeste Bartos Fund for Film Preservation.

MORE INFORMATION AND TICKETS:

Please visit www.mfah.org.

Photos courtesy of MFAH