Images of a friendship

Robert Frank was born in Zurich one hundred years ago, on November 9, 1924. He moved to the USA when he was 23, and travelled all over the country in the mid-fifties. First published in 1958, his The Americans series is today considered one of the most important photography books of the 20th century, and his legendary images remain iconic examples of street photography.

Edward Keating (1956-2021) lived in New York City from 1981 on, working as a photographer for The New York Times. Keating's widow, Carrie Boretz, speaks about her husband's first encounter with Frank: “It took a second to realize it was Robert Frank, his idol, he was seeing through his viewfinder on the corner of Bleecker and Broadway. When words were spoken, with introductions, it was the start of a decades' long friendship. It was at times messy and emotional - a camaraderie between two men with similar traits, views of the world, and personalities; a bond between two very talented photographers who loved one another.”

Taken between 1992 and Frank's death in 2019, the portraits speak not only of the two photographers' close connection, but also of their joint trips and projects, such as between “a long, arduous journey to China, in 2007, for an anniversary of The Americans book for Robert, and an NYC exhibit for Eddie,” Boretz explains. Frank was also an important advisor on the creation of Keating's photo book about Route 66, published by Damiani in 2019 as Main Street – The Lost Dream of Route 66. “It took the words of Robert Frank for Eddie to finally realize his project was complete. No one else’s opinion mattered,” Boretz remembers.

Two years after Frank's passing, Keating died as a result of the toxic material he was exposed to, for months, at Ground Zero, while reporting on 9/11 2001.