Mark Cohen (photographer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Cohen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943 (age 82–83) |
| 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]
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]
In 2026, Cohen was announced as an inductee into the Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame.[11]
Publications
Books by Cohen
- Mark Cohen, Photographer: A Monograph. 1980. 38 pp. OCLC 14157788.[12]
- 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.
- Groundworks. Tokyo: Super Labo, 2024. ISBN 978-4-911112-09-0.
- NAPLES AND PALERMO, APRIL 2002. Melbourne: Light of Day, 2024.
Contributions to publications
- 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
- 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
- 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
Solo exhibitions
- 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][13]
- 1975: Art Institute of Chicago[14]
- 2010/2011: Mark Cohen: Strange Evidence, Philadelphia Museum of Art[15]
- 2013: Mark Cohen: Italian Riviera, 2008, Maslow Collection at Marywood University, Scranton, PA[16]
- 2013: Dark Knees (1969–2012), Le Bal, Paris[17]
- 2014: Mark Cohen, Danziger Gallery, New York[8]
- 2014/2015: Dark Knees, Netherlands Photo Museum, Rotterdam[18]
Group exhibitions
- 1969: Vision and Expression, George Eastman House, Rochester, New York. Organised by Nathan Lyons.[19][20]
- 1978: Mirrors and Windows: American Photography Since 1960, Museum of Modern Art, New York City[1]
