Frank Horvat: Side Walk
The publication Side Walk takes the reader into an unprecedented journey through Frank Horvat’s emblematic series he produced in New York between 1982 and 1986 combining iconic photographs and unpublished images found in his archives with the complicity of the photographer and his daughter. A personal series he developed with great freedom outside of his assignments that will turn out to be decisive in his transition from fashion photography to more personal work. As an urban stroll, the book is conceived upon visual associations that have emerged over the years. It shows the contemporaneity of this body of work and the extraordinary talent of Horvat as a colorist.
The photographer documents here a period in his lifetime in the American city where we can already identify his favorite themes: people, the city’s absurdity, and its contradictory beauty. A selection of excerpts from his journal takes the reader in the intimacy of his New York experience unveiling as well his interrogations as a street photographer. While a fictional correspondence with Horvat specially written for the book by filmmaker Amos Gitai gives a new light on this multifaceted series.
Published by Hatje Cantz (English version ) and Xavier Barral Editions (French version )
About the Author
Frank Horvat (1928-2020) was an artist who explored the twentieth century through photography. Since his first images of Italy in the 1950s to his Middle-Eastern trips in 1970 and his iconic work in fashion photography, he has made a mark on the medium with a rich and prolific production.
Frank Horvat met Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris in 1950 which pushed him to adopt the Leica and undertake a two-year journey in India and Pakistan as an independent photojournalist. With the B&W images he brought back he gained his first success. As of 1957, he applies his experience of reporter to fashion photography with a more realistic less stiff style that will durably influence the medium. At the end of the 1970s, Horvat initiates more personal series in color that will feed numerous books and exhibitions.
His ultimate publication Side Walk (Atelier EXB) was published in October 2020. It takes the reader into an unprecedented journey through Horvat’s emblematic series he produced in New York between 1982 and 1987 combining iconic photographs and unpublished images found in his archives with the complicity of the photographer.
