Mark Cohen (photographer)
Mark Cohen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943 (age 80–81) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Photographer |
Mark Cohen (born August 24, 1943) is an American photographer best known for his innovative close-up street photography.[1][2]
Cohen's major books of photography are Grim Street (2005), True Color (2007), and Mexico (2016). His work was first exhibited in a group exhibition at George Eastman House in 1969 and he had his first solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1973.[3] He was awarded Guggenheim Fellowships in 1971 and 1976.[4] and received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1975.[5]
Life and work[edit]
Cohen was born and lived in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania until 2013. He attended Penn State University and Wilkes College between 1961 and 1965, and opened a commercial photo studio in 1966.[6]
The majority of the photography for which Cohen is known is shot in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area (also known as the Wyoming Valley), a historic industrialized region of northeastern Pennsylvania. Characteristically Cohen photographs people close-up, using a wide-angle lens and a flash, mostly in black and white, frequently cropping their heads from the frame, concentrating on small details.[7] He has used 21 mm, 28 mm and 35 mm focal length, wide-angle, lenses and later on 50 mm.[8] Cohen has described his method as 'intrusive';[9] "They're not easy pictures. But I guess that's why they're mine."[10]
Discussing his influences with Thomas Southall in 2004[9] he cites ". . . so many photographers who followed Cartier-Bresson, like Frank, Koudelka, Winogrand, Friedlander." He also recognizes the influence of Diane Arbus.[10] Whilst acknowledging these influences he says: "I knew about art photography...Then I did these outside the context of any other photographer."[10]
In 2013 Cohen moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[8]
Publications[edit]
Books by Cohen[edit]
- Mark Cohen, Photographer: A Monograph. 1980. 38 pp. OCLC 14157788.[11]
- Mark Cohen: October 10 – December 13, 1981. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1981. 24 pp. OCLC 8793002.
- Images: A Photographic Essay of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Avoca, PA: Economic Development Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 1982. 58 pp. OCLC 40750751.
- Five Minutes in Mexico: Photographs. Wilkes-Barre, PA: Sordoni Art Gallery, 1989. 71 pp. ISBN 0-942945-00-X.
- Grim Street. New York: powerHouse, 2005. ISBN 1-57687-230-0.
- True Color. New York: powerHouse, 2007. ISBN 1-57687-372-2. Text by Vince Aletti. Work in colour originating as a commission from George Eastman House.
- Italian Riviera. Rome: Punctum, 2008. ISBN 978-8-895410-16-6. Edition of 40 copies. Made along the Levante Riviera, during his stay in Rapallo, Liguria.
- Mark Cohen: Strange Evidence. Self-published / CreateSpace, 2012. ISBN 978-1456563738. Catalogue of the exhibition Mark Cohen: Strange Evidence at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, January 2010 to March 2011, curated by Peter Barbiere.
- Dark Knees. Paris: Xavier Barral, 2013. ISBN 978-2-365110-42-6. "Wilkes-Barre and around Pennsylvania 1969–2012". "Published on the occasion of the exhibition Mark Cohen Dark Knees at [Le Bal] in Paris between September 27 and December 8, 2013 and at the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam between November 8, 2014 and January 11, 2015."
- Frame: a Retrospective. Austin: University of Texas, 2015. ISBN 978-1-4773-0372-6. With an introduction by Jane Livingston.
- Mexico. Austin: University of Texas, 2016. ISBN 978-1-4773-1171-4.
- Bread in Snow. Tokyo: Super Labo, 2019. ISBN 978-4-908512-68-1.
- Cotton. Tokyo: Super Labo, 2021. ISBN 978-4-908512-46-9.
Contributions to publications[edit]
- Contatti. Provini d'Autore = Choosing the best photo by using the contact sheet. Vol. I. Edited by Giammaria De Gasperis. Rome: Postcart, 2012. ISBN 978-88-86795-87-6.
Books about Cohen[edit]
- Wonders Seen in Forsaken Places: An essay on the photographs and the process of photography of Mark Cohen by Alphonso Lingis. Self-published / CreateSpace, 2010. ISBN 978-1442180536.
Awards[edit]
- 1971: Guggenheim Fellowship, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation[4]
- 1975: National Endowment for the Arts grant[5]
- 1976: Guggenheim Fellowship, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation[citation needed]
Exhibitions[edit]
Solo exhibitions[edit]
- 1962: Pennsylvania State University, University Park[citation needed]
- 1965: Wilkes College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania[citation needed]
- 1967: Spanish National Tourist Office, New York City[citation needed]
- 1973: Photographs by Mark Cohen, Museum of Modern Art, New York City[1][12]
- 1975: Art Institute of Chicago[13]
- 2010/2011: Mark Cohen: Strange Evidence, Philadelphia Museum of Art[14]
- 2013: Mark Cohen: Italian Riviera, 2008, Maslow Collection at Marywood University, Scranton, PA[15]
- 2013: Dark Knees (1969–2012), Le Bal, Paris[16]
- 2014: Mark Cohen, Danziger Gallery, New York[8]
- 2014/2015: Dark Knees, Netherlands Photo Museum, Rotterdam[17]
Group exhibitions[edit]
- 1969: Vision and Expression, George Eastman House, Rochester, New York. Organised by Nathan Lyons.[18][19]
- 1978: Mirrors and Windows: American Photography Since 1960, Museum of Modern Art, New York City[1]
Collections[edit]
Cohen's work is held in the following permanent collections:
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago[4]
- Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.[4]
- Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, MA[4]
- George Eastman House, Rochester, New York[20]
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City[21]
- Musee de la Photographie, Belgium[4]
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston[4]
- Museum of Modern Art, New York City[4]
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia[4]
- The Polaroid Collection, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA[4]
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London[3]
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City: 4 prints[22]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Estrin, James (December 7, 2012). "Bright Flash, Small City". The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ^ Campbell, Max (May 12, 2016). "Mark Cohen's Close-Up Street Photography". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved April 19, 2019 – via www.newyorker.com.
- ^ a b "Jumprope". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j [1], John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ a b NEA 1975 Annual report Archived December 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine (PDF), page 97.
- ^ "Mark Cohen" (PDF). Brucesilverstein.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2010. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
- ^ "Photography: Mark Cohen", Profiles in Excellence. Penn State Public Broadcasting, 1982. Here [2] at Penn State on Demand. (Starts at 1 min 43 s.)
- ^ a b c Estrin, James (May 8, 2014). "Pictures on the Street? It's Complicated". New York Times. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ a b 2004 interview with Thomas Southall, in Grim Street.
- ^ a b c 2004 interview with Anne Wilkes Tucker, in the preface to Grim Street.
- ^ According to WorldCat, "Also published as Camera, 1980, no. 3."
- ^ "Exhibition History List". MoMA. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
- ^ "1975 News Releases", Art Institute of Chicago
- ^ "Mark Cohen: Strange Evidence". Philadelphia Museum of Art. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
- ^ "Mark Cohen: Italian Riviera, 2008", Marywood University
- ^ Moroz, Sarah (October 22, 2013). "Mark Cohen: the photographer who literally shoots from the hip". The Guardian. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
- ^ "Mark Cohen – Exhibitions – Nederlands Fotomuseum Rotterdam". Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ Nathan Lyons, Vision and Expression (New York: Horizon Press, 1969)
- ^ "George Eastman House bio". Archived from the original on April 20, 2001. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
- ^ 129 items, detailed in the checklist Archived January 19, 2001, at the Wayback Machine of artists. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
- ^ Two items, according to the alphabetical listing of artists, including Girl with Skipping Rope, the cover image of Grim Street. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
- ^ Mark Cohen: 1943– Whitney Museum of American Art. Accessed June 21, 2017.
External links[edit]
- Cohen biography at Danziger Gallery
- Cohen explains and demonstrates how he works, Contemporary Photographie in the USA (Spring 1982), Michael Engler Filmproduktion (6 m video)
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