Photofile: Frank Horvat

A compact survey of the photographer Frank Horvat, best known for his fashion photography published between the mid 1950s and the late 1980s.

Frank Horvat (1928-2020) changed the course of fashion photography forever. The Italian-born photographer made his debut as a photojournalist in France, where he continued to live and work for the rest of his life. It was here he met Henri Cartier-Bresson, who encouraged him to continue his marvellous photojournalism. By the mid-1950s Horvat was collaborating with the biggest fashion magazines in the world, such as Elle, Vogue and Jardin des Modes – revolutionizing fashion photography through a more realistic lens, photographing models on the streets, in the squares and alongside the locals of post-war Europe. Horvat’s fresh and often imitated style, which brought reportage techniques and the 35mm film camera to the forefront of fashion photography, impressed designers and inspired fashion photographers for generations to come.

Frank Horvat’s work can now be found in permanent collections in prestigious institutions around the world, including The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

With a foreword by Virginie Chardin, this title in the renowned Photofile series exhibits Horvat’s photographic opus through sixty full-page reproductions in a handsome and collectible pocket format.