Aipad 2026: Free Air and Beyond by Robert Frank, Gerhard Steidl and Clark Winter

We’re delighted to welcome you to AIPAD – The Photography Show 2026 at the Park Avenue Armory in New York this April, where Alta proudly presents Free Air and Beyond, a celebration of the enduring collaboration between Robert Frank and Gerhard Steidl.

At the heart of the exhibition is a curated selection of Robert Frank’s pioneering photographs, shown in dialogue with works by photographer Clark Winter from his recent Steidl book Free Air. Robert Frank – Hands at Work, alongside a Steidl presentation structured around Frank’s volume Story Lines.

The Robert Frank photographs on view are the very prints first shown in Robert Frank: Storylines at Tate Modern in 2005, personally chosen by Frank and presented here in their original frames, still bearing the Tate Modern stamps.

The exhibition reveals Frank as an artist whose widely celebrated genius lies in his eye, yet whose more intimate, personal, and lesser‑known work emerges through his hands. In many ways, Frank was a sculptor, shaping meaning from found objects, old photographs, and even the camera itself, which became another material to be carved, assembled, and transformed in his pursuit of form and memory.

The exhibition also reflects Alta’s mission to foster meaningful exchanges between artists, collectors, and publisherswho shape today’s photographic culture.

“We are deeply honored to collaborate with the Robert Frank Foundation and with Gerhard Steidl, arguably the most influential art‑book publisher in the world, whose dedication to editorial excellence and craftsmanship has profoundly shaped the visual culture of our time, as we celebrate Robert Frank, one of the most important artists in the history of the photographic medium,” says Pancho Saula, Alta’s founder.

Gerhard Steidl in Conversation with Clark Winter

On Thursday, April 23rd at 2:30 pm, Gerhard Steidl, founder and publisher of the renowned publishing house Steidl, will join photographer Clark Winter for a conversation on Robert Frank’s enduring legacy and the crucial role photobooks have played in shaping it

Their dialogue will also explore AIPAD member gallery Alta’s presentation Free Air and Beyond, a celebration of the long collaboration between Steidl and Frank. At the center of the exhibition is a curated selection of Frank’s pioneering photographs, shown in dialogue with Winter’s images from his forthcoming book Free Air, to be published by Steidl in May 2026, alongside a Steidl presentation organized around Frank’s groundbreaking book Story Lines.

Book signing after the talk at Alta’s Booth D 10

At 4 pm on Thursday at Alta’s booth, Clark Winter will sign copies of Free Air. Robert Frank – Hands at Work, while Gerhard Steidl will sign Robert Frank. Books and Films published by Steidl.

Park Avenue Armory, New York

Booth D10

VIP Preview: April 22, 2026

Public Days: April 23–26, 2026