Frank Horvat, photographer who bridged fashion and photojournalism, dies at 92

Frank Horvat, an Italian-Croatian photographer known for blending fashion photography with photojournalism, died on October 21, 2020, at age 92. Born in Opatija, Croatia, in 1928 to Hungarian and Austrian Jewish parents, Horvat lived across Switzerland, India, Pakistan, the United States, France, and Italy. His career began in the 1950s after meeting Henri Cartier-Bresson, whose influence was profound. Horvat published in major magazines like Elle and Vogue. In the 1960s-70s, he returned to photojournalism. Later, he moved away from magazines toward monographic projects. In the 1980s, vision problems led him to create a publication featuring interviews and works by Giacomelli, Newton, Witkin, and Koudelka. In the 1990s, he experimented with digital photomontage combined with analog techniques. In the 2000s, he undertook a monumental project documenting 1999, the year before the millennium. Horvat also created Horvatland, an iPad app compiling 2,000 images from 65 years with commentary. He turned personal weaknesses, including heart ailments, into strengths, producing intimate yet universal photographic projects.