Crack Up.

As we mentioned in our previous post, we were quite inspired on our trip to Connecticut last weekend. In fact one of our favorite takeaways came about when we stopped at KMR Arts, a small gallery located in Litchfield County. It was there that we saw the above photos and were pleasantly surprised to learn who was behind the lens of these abstract, expressionistic images. Believe it or not these are actually detailed shots of pavement cracks in New York City and were taken by the incomparable Lillian Bassman. For those who may not be familiar with Ms. Bassman, she worked as a fashion photographer for Junior Bazaar and later at Harper's Bazaar where she promoted the careers of photographers such as Richard Avedon, Louis Faure, Arnold Newman and Robert Frank. Under the guidance of the Russian immigrant Alexey Brodovitch, she began to photograph her model subjects primarily in black and white. Most of her painterly and elegant images were published in Harper's Bazaar, between 1950-1965 (see some of these photos after the jump).

By the 1970s Bassman's interest in the pure form, prevalent in her fashion photography, was out of vogue. She turned to her own photo projects and abandoned fashion photography. In doing so, she tossed out 40 years of negatives and prints - her life's work. This is also when she created the above Crack Series. Over 20 years later, a forgotten bag filled with hundreds of images was discovered. Bassman’s fashion photographic work began to be re-appreciated in the 1990s. Now 92 years old, she is working with digital technology and abstract color photography to create a new series of work. To learn more about Bassman click here and to see more work click here!

Katheryn McCarver Root who owns KMR Arts has worked with some of the best and the brightest photographers. In addition to running the gallery she also consults with individuals and corporate clients to purchase and install photography collections. She's an avid collector herself and brings that enthusiasm to each project. Believe us ....this gallery is a fantastic resource to add to your rolodex!