“A degradation of a nation,” is how Minor White described Robert Frank’s seminal masterpiece, The Americans. The renowned photographer and Aperture magazine editor wasn’t alone in his disdain, joining the editors of Popular Photography, who called it, “a wart-covered picture of America by a joyless man”. According to Frank, not even MoMA would sell the book, despite the fact their photography department was headed by one of his mentors, Edward Steichen. As a result, the book quickly went out of print after selling only 1,100 copies.
The Americans: Robert Frank's legendary photographs head to auction | Art and design | The Guardian:
