Robert Frank (American, 1924-2019). Barber Shop Through the Screen Door, McClellanville, S.C., 1955. G...

Description

Robert Frank (American, 1924-2019)
Barber Shop Through the Screen Door, McClellanville, S.C., 1955
Gelatin silver print, printed circa 1977
9-5/8 x 14-3/8 inches (24.4 x 36.5 cm) (image)
12 x 16 inches (sheet)
Signed in ink, lower margin recto. Metropolitan Museum of Art stamp, acquisition inscriptions, and inscribed 'RFA 36' in pencil in an unknown hand, verso.

PROVENANCE:
Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York;
Acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art from the above, 1986;
Important Photographs from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including Works from the Gilman Paper Company;
Sotheby's, New York, February 15, 2006, lot 102;
Private collection, acquired from the above.

EXHIBITED:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Few Are Chosen: Street Photography and the Book, 1936 - 1966, November 2004 - March 2005

LITERATURE:
The Americans: Photographs by Robert Frank (New York, 1986), p. 85;
Sarah Greenough and Philip Brookman, Robert Frank: Moving Out (Washington, D. C.: National Gallery of Art, 1994), p. 182;
Tod Papageorge, Walker Evans and Robert Frank: An Essay on Influence (Yale University Art Gallery, 1981), p. 43;
Peter Galassi, Walker Evans & Company (The Museum of Modern Art, 2000), pl. 58;
John Szarkowski, The Photographer's Eye (The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1966), p. 138

Doubtless, some future scientist will identify the neurological event that transpires when we read a line of Elizabeth Bishop or regard Frank's "Barber shop through a screen door-McClellanville, South Carolina," a photo of a regal barber's chair presiding over its kingdom, deserted by humans, overseen only by the tools of the barber's trade and a row of bottles containing preparations to tame and add luster to a gentleman's hair. We rapidly "get" the play of trompe l'oeil created by the screen door imposing its shadowy geometric grid on the room, and the glass behind the screen reflecting a blurred image of the streetscape. The thronelike chair appears to be at once outside and inside a room filled with vegetation. Also dimly reflected is the shadow of the photographer, present and not present, a bit like Velázquez caught in the mirror painting Las Meninas.

"We can list the elements, the details that appear in the photo, and yet are unable to explain why the image haunts us with nostalgia for the past, even if our own past has nothing to do with barbershops or South Carolina. The reason we keep looking is the same reason we reread Bishop's "In the Waiting Room." This time, we imagine, we will get closer to the heart of the work instead of merely staring at it from across a divide: the gap between understanding and mystification, between poetic or visual language and the language of the grocery list." (Francine Prose, "You Goy Eyes: Robert Frank Reimagines America", Harper's Magazine, January 2010


More information about Robert Frank. See also: Frank, Robert Artist.

Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000.

*Heritage Auctions strives to provide as much information as possible but encourages in-person inspection by bidders. Statements regarding the condition of objects are only for general guidance and should not be relied upon as complete statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation, warranty or assumption of liability by Heritage. Some condition issues may not be noted in the condition report but are apparent in the provided photos which are considered part of the condition report. Please note that we do not de-frame lots estimated at $1,000 or less and may not be able to provide additional details for lots valued under $500. Heritage does not guarantee the condition of frames and shall not be liable for any damage/scratches to frames, glass/acrylic coverings, original boxes, display accessories, or art that has slipped in frames. All lots are sold "AS IS" under the Terms & Conditions of Auction.