The exhibition opened on 30 March 2012 and ended on 31 May 2013.
The exhibition presents Robert Frank’s personal approach to Robert Walser, with whom he always felt a special affinity. Although Walser’s writings have accompanied Frank for many years, “Distant Closeness” refers not only to the relationship between the two artists but also to the aesthetic principle that underlies their art. What they capture for viewers is filtered through the distance of their respective medium, be it photographic print or literary text. The broad spectrum of seeing and being seen, addressed in Frank’s ceaseless exploration of perception, resonates with Walser’s writing and his distinctive, transforma-tive observations of the world around him. Frank and Walser are worlds apart, and yet united by a deep inner kinship.
Robert Frank was born in Zurich in 1924 and lives in New York City.
Idea: Robert Frank and Reto Sorg
Design: Peter Erismann and Gerhard Blättler
Framing: Martin Gasser and Rosa Schamal
Assistance: Gelgia Caviezel and Katja Zellweger
With the kind support of Fondation Johanna Dürmüller-Bol, Fotostiftung Schweiz, Itten+Brechbühl AG, Kino Kunstmuseum, Nationale Suisse, Pro Scientia et Arte, and USM U. Schärer Söhne AG. Special thanks to Lauren Panzo and Peter MacGill as well as Robert Frank.