Aspesi Ideas

Photo : Robert Frank Assistant : Marianne  Müller

Technical Assistant : Roberto Gecarelli

Graphic Design : Armando Chitolina Project : Soncini

Aspesi, 1997, 76 pagine, 24,4x30,5cm, ISBN 978-3039390380 Copertina rigida, fotografie in b/n e a colori, Edizione di 2000 esemplari.  A few minor marks to the boards

euro 50,00

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Un aspetto meno noto di Robert Frank impegnato in questo volume nella realizzazione di immagini “commerciali” per conto del marchio italiano Aspesi

Shirts, New York 1989 - Jackets Mabou, Nova Scotia 1995 - Collages, Zurich 1997

A beautifully designed collection of Robert Frank's subtle advertising images for the Milan-based clothing firm, Aspesi.

The catalog called Ideas was published in 1999 and it combines three of the campaigns including one of collages made in 1997. Where as the others were not publicly available, this one had a much larger printing and seemed made for more public consumption as a Robert Frank item of interest beyond the fashion aim.

The first section "Shirts" features photographs of shirt designs from Aspesi in 1989. Photographed in Polaroid positive/negative in the streets around his home near the Bowery he catches the models in states somewhere between posing and spontaneous interaction. The blurry urban backdrop and rough Polaroid edges provides a nice moody atmosphere of fashion meeting lower east side reality. 

The second section "Jackets" is a catalog of photographs of jackets offered from Aspesi's Fall/Winter line of 1995-96. This time around Robert has hauled everyone up to Mabou, Nova Scotia where jackets would be put to good use. Here he mixes the obvious models with locals and even June Leaf shows up in a few photos. Since much of Robert's "art" with the Polaroid has been done up in Mabou several elements within the landscape that he re-uses in these photos will be familiar. A local man in flannel jacket and trucker's cap holds up a piece of glass upon which Robert has etched the word 'Jackets' (scratched into the negative) while in the foreground the clothesline from his famous 'words' photograph now holds up jackets and not photographic prints blowing in the winter wind. In other photos he uses newspapers and people holding up found objects as props to infuse the pictures with the sense of an added beyond the clothing.

The third section "Collages" are the collages made in Zurich in which the featured products are light jackets. The collages include photographs in both black and white and color and other elements of film frames and scratched Polaroid negatives.

22/12/23