Frontier - (Anouk Masson Krantz) by Anouk Masson Krantz (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Star photographer Anouk Masson Krantz's strongest collection to date covers both American continents. This inspiring tribute to the enduring legacy of the cowboy is an authentic portrait of real ranch life including children, families, working cowboys, and rodeo.

In Anouk Masson Krantz's most expansive work to date, she travels tens of thousands of miles across the Americas, broadening her focus from the United States to both American continents. In her exquisite, large-scale photographs - all new for this book - Anouk captures sweeping landscapes and paints an intimate portrait of the enduring cross-boundary legacies of the North American cowboy, Central American vaquero, and South American gaucho. Her time spent at ranches and rodeos across The Americas has culminated in a magnificent book honouring a way of life many around the world dream of but rarely have experienced first-hand. Frontier builds upon Anouk's renowned body of work with her bestselling Wild Horses of Cumberland Island (2017); West: The American Cowboy (2019); American Cowboys (2021); and Ranchland (2022). Her stunning black and white, large-scale photographs capture a culture deeply rooted in principled, timeless values, sacrifice, strength, and self-reliance. From stunning panoramas to the intimate everyday lives of working cowboys and their families, Frontier is a must-have addition to her impressive body of work.

Bernie Taupin, Oscar winner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and long-time song-writing collaborator with Elton John, has contributed an exceptional foreword.

"There's an honesty and integrity in these images that parlays all the elements of what it means to exist outside the boundaries of conformity and confinement. The rebel spirit, the rugged individualism, and the absolute unapologetic rhythm of history. This is stunning work--a true testament to the men and women who are the anvil on which America's backbone was forged." --Bernie Taupin

Review Quotes

"...fascinating and expansive photo project on the many manifestations of cowboy culture, encompassing the North American cowboy that's forever enshrined in popular culture, the Central American 'vaquero' and the South American 'gaucho.' Thanks to Hollywood, we tend to visualise cowboys and their environments in Technicolour, but Anouk shot in black & white for this and previous projects as she prefers a more minimalist style that strikes a strong emotional chord - without the distractions of colour. Anouk's commitment to understanding her subject and upholding a consistent and honest approach is something that everyone can learn from - whether we are in Wyoming or Woking."-- "AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER"

"...Anouk Masson Krantz traveled across the American continent to capture the cowboy/gaucho spirit that shines through in different landscapes. She succeeded. The result is astonishing. Frontier: Cowboys of the Americas is the book that showcases her passionate work."-- "CLARIN NEWSPAPER'S VIVA MAGAZINE"

"Anouk has become the bestselling Western art book in history, celebrated by her remarkable ability to document the authnetic heart of this iconic lifestyle." -- "TODAY Read with Jenna"

"Anouk Masson Krantz visited ranches and rodeos in search of North American cowboys, Central American vaqueros, and South American gauchos to capture the realities of their way of life."

-- "THE TIMES, UK"

"Anouk Masson Krantz, a French writer and photographer who has chosen the American West as her subject, brings an outsider's perspective to the subject. The author of photo books West and American Cowboys, Krantz says that she's been fascinated by the fact that modern life has left many people wanting more--and that the cowboy, somehow, represents an alternative."-- "GQ"

"In Frontier Cowboys of the Americas, Anouk Krantz has created a body of work that not only documents a way of life but also preserves its legacy for future generations. Through her lens, she captures the resilience, beauty, and interconnectedness of cowboy culture, offering a powerful reminder of the values that sustain us."-- "COWGIRL MAGAZINE"

"Most photographers have a style and a favourite subject, but few are as synonymous with their chosen field as Anouk Krantz, who is known for her spectacular - and immensely popular - black & white studies of cowboy culture. In Frontier, Krantz broadens her focus from the US to North, South and Central America, without sacrificing her trademark style. These large scale photographs - all new for this book - capture the enduring yet intimate cross-border legacies of the North American cowboy, Central American vaquero and South American gaucho. At a time of rising border tensions across the continent, this work offers a sense of the shared humanity that ties their lives together."-- "BLACK + WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY "

"Photographer Anouk Masson Krantz, whose work we are presenting at rampstyle not for the first time (and certainly not for the last), has been following the lives of cowboys and ranchers with her camera for years, a group of people who, despite the internet and smartphones, still largely go about their work as they did over a century ago.Just how much Krantz loves this authentic world is demonstrated by the fact that she has covered more than two hundred thousand miles between farms, rodeos and horse corrals. Her latest book is dedicated to the remaining frontiers of the American continent, from Canada to Mexico and Argentina."-- "RAMPSTYLE"

"This collection is a magnificent tribute to a way of life and of living, to the cowboys and their communities, and, ultimately, to the heart of the Americas."-- "THE EYE OF PHOTOGRAPHY"

"Wild West enthusiasts--and, yes, Yellowstone fans--will appreciate Frontier: Cowboys of the Americas, a compelling portrait of ranch life by Anouk Masson Krantz. This coffee table book, available for $85, combines gorgeous, black-and-white imagery of cowboys, ranchers, and their families in the land they love with a nice touch of history of the modern American west."-- "TIME"

About the Author

Anouk Masson Krantz is a French fine-art photographer and author based in NYC, best known for her American Western work.

Born and raised in France, she later moved to NYC in the late 1990's. After years of work in the luxury consumer industry, she left her role at Cartier's corporate office in New York City in 2003 to pursue photography. Krantz carefully selects projects that inspire as her works compel us to find solace and pause for a moment of peace and self-reflection. Her minimalistic, black and white large-scale contemporary photographs draw upon her refined eye to stir one's emotions and move the soul.
Krantz's photography has received worldwide acclaim as she has built a reputation as a leading visionary of cowboy photography of our times. Her success has influenced the recent resurgence of the Western genre in popular culture. Her books have become a global sales phenomenon and sat atop the bestseller lists for five years.
She has collaborated with Yellowstone series creator and director Taylor Sheridan, who wrote the foreword for her book American Cowboys in 2021 as well as with the legendary Bernie Taupin, known for writing Elton John's songs, who penned the foreword for her latest book FRONTIER: Cowboy of the Americas.
Krantz broke barriers as a woman from the outside. Since 2017, in her Western travels, she worked tirelessly to earn the trust and confidence of the ever private and discrete American ranching world. She gradually became known to the cowboy community and doors across the country opened. Over eight years, she has logged well over 125,000 miles by herself in her quest to reveal the authentic daily lives of the noble and virtuous American Cowboy.
"They would invite me into their homes, share meals and allowed me to ride among them. As we began to understand one another, I was accepted as one of them."
Over the past two years, Anouk has travelled further to explore the Western way of life across the Americas. Her recent works and new large-format 360-page artbook FRONTIER will be released on November 4th, 2024.
A limited slipcover edition as well as a limited leather collector's edition with a signed print will be released early 2025.
Her books, all published by Images Publishing/ACC Art Books, include:
Wild Horses of Cumberland Island (Nov 2017) (edition II // five reprints)
West: The American Cowboy (Nov 2019) (ten reprints)
American Cowboys (Nov 2021) - foreword by Taylor Sheridan (Nov 2021) (seven reprints)
Ranchland: Wagonhound - foreword by Gretel Ehrlich (Nov 2022) (two reprints)
Krantz's photographs have received accolades from the International Photography Awards and International Monochrome Awards. More recently she received the prestigious Wrangler Award at the 2023 Western Heritage Awards for her latest artbook Ranchland. Her work is displayed in prominent museums and private collections worldwide. In 2023, Cowboys & Indians named her "Trailblazer of the West" along with other western luminaries Lainey Wilson, Joanna Gaines and Quannah Chasinghorse. Krantz's work has been featured around the world in publications such as GQ, The Times, L'Oeil De La Photographie, Vanity Fair, Town & Country, Time, Harper's Bazaar, and Departures.
Anouk is an active supporter of several worthy causes including the American Cancer Society, the National Indigenous Women's Resouce Center and Build A Nest.

Fascinated with the stories and lifestyle of the American West, Bernie Taupin built a legendary and illustrious career in music while crafting timeless songs inspired by the cowboys he discovered in film and on vinyl as a young boy in rural England. A Gershwin Prize and Academy Award-winning songwriter, Bernie has co-written some of pop music's biggest hits with Elton John since 1967. A 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, best-selling author, and visual artist, Bernie is happiest at home listening to vinyl records, cooking, and watching baseball and PBR with his friends and family.