Nixon campaign 26 1960

Robert Frank, who died not so long ago, made this contact sheet, ‘Nixon campaign 26’ and others like it, using photography. It's a matrix of small black and white photographs of Richard Nixon during his presidential campaign. Each frame offers a glimpse into the staged reality of political theatre. I can imagine Frank, lurking in the shadows, trying to capture something authentic amidst all the pomp. What was he thinking? He probably knew something we didn’t. The composition feels both deliberate and accidental, like he’s grappling with how to frame and understand this moment in history. Looking at the images, I see a precursor to artists like Gerhard Richter, who also used photography as source material for paintings, probing the relationship between representation and reality. Frank wasn't just documenting; he was critiquing, questioning, and ultimately, changing the way we see. He’s in conversation with those that came before him and those that will follow.