Wikipedia

Mark Cohen (photographer)

Mark Cohen (born August 24, 1943) is an American photographer best known for his innovative close-up street photography.[1][2]

Mark Cohen
Born1943 (age 82–83)
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania U.S.
OccupationPhotographer

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

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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

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Books by Cohen

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Contributions to publications

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  • 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

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  • 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

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Exhibitions

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Solo exhibitions

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Group exhibitions

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Collections

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Cohen's work is held in the following permanent collections:

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Estrin, James (December 7, 2012). "Bright Flash, Small City". The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. 1 2 "Jumprope". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 , John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  5. 1 2 NEA 1975 Annual report Archived December 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine (PDF), page 97.
  6. ↑ "Mark Cohen" (PDF). Brucesilverstein.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2010. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Photography: Mark Cohen", Profiles in Excellence. Penn State Public Broadcasting, 1982. Here at Penn State on Demand. (Starts at 1 min 43 s.)
  8. 1 2 3 Estrin, James (May 8, 2014). "Pictures on the Street? It's Complicated". New York Times. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  9. 1 2 2004 interview with Thomas Southall, in Grim Street.
  10. 1 2 3 2004 interview with Anne Wilkes Tucker, in the preface to Grim Street.
  11. ↑ https://www.timesleader.com/news/1738505/luzerne-county-arts-entertainment-hall-of-fame-announces-class-of-2026
  12. ↑ According to WorldCat, "Also published as Camera, 1980, no. 3."
  13. ↑ "Exhibition History List". MoMA. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  14. ↑ "1975 News Releases", Art Institute of Chicago
  15. ↑ "Mark Cohen: Strange Evidence". Philadelphia Museum of Art. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Mark Cohen: Italian Riviera, 2008", Marywood University
  17. ↑ Moroz, Sarah (October 22, 2013). "Mark Cohen: the photographer who literally shoots from the hip". The Guardian. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Mark Cohen – Exhibitions – Nederlands Fotomuseum Rotterdam". Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  19. ↑ Nathan Lyons, Vision and Expression (New York: Horizon Press, 1969)
  20. ↑ "George Eastman House bio". Archived from the original on April 20, 2001. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  21. ↑ 129 items, detailed in the checklist Archived January 19, 2001, at the Wayback Machine of artists. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  22. ↑ Two items, according to the alphabetical listing of artists, including Girl with Skipping Rope, the cover image of Grim Street. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  23. ↑ Mark Cohen: 1943– Archived May 18, 2018, at the Wayback Machine Whitney Museum of American Art. Accessed June 21, 2017.
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