Robert Frank's 'The Americans' Exhibition Opens in Milan

An exhibition of Robert Frank's seminal photographic series 'The Americans' is on view at FORMA MERAVIGLI in Milan until February 19, 2017. The show presents 83 photographs taken by the Swiss-born artist between 1955 and 1956 during his travels across the United States, from New York and Los Angeles to the Deep South and the Great Plains. Frank's work, praised by Jack Kerouac as poetic, captures both the allure and the oppressive reality of the American Dream, revealing a nation marked by racial divides, economic hardship, and a pervasive sense of waiting. The exhibition layout mirrors the original 1958 French publication's sober design, emphasizing the images' connection to jazz and Beat literature rather than rock 'n' roll. The series, which initially sparked controversy in the U.S., is presented with a catalog published by Contrasto.