American Cowboys features over 50 photographs by photographer Anouk Masson Krantz. Growing up in France, Krantz has always been fascinated by the American West. She eventually moved to New York in the late 1990s and began to travel out West beginning in 2004. Over the years, Krantz has traveled over 125,000 miles, capturing firsthand the everyday lives of the American cowboy and sharing their stories from their perspective. Krantz states “I wanted to see how these American cowboys live, how they work, what they love about their lives that keeps them there, and what they aspire to achieve.”
She came to learn that these cowboy communities are not merely rare isolated pockets, but in fact can be found anywhere and everywhere, stretching from coast to coast. As the cowboy communities across the United States got to know Krantz through her countless visits, they invited her into their world.
Krantz states, “Over early breakfasts in the dark, and surrounded by their close ones, I would get to know their families and learn of their own long histories...My own misconceptions about the cowboys’ life were quickly dispelled and, in each encounter, I found their greatest virtues to be their faith, independence, heritage, traditions, and ongoing ties to the land. They rely upon one another and their family and community are the sources of their strength. Their love for this nation that is America is unrivaled, and each town heralds its own heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend these values...I was surprised to learn that although we came from such remarkably different backgrounds, we share many of the same values and principles... Their work ethic is unrivaled, their integrity comes above all, and their word is their bond.”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
International photographer and author Anouk Masson Krantz was born and raised in France. She moved to New York City in the late 1990s; following college, she worked at Cartier’s corporate office. Anouk later studied at the International Center of Photography. She is renowned for her large-scale contemporary photography and use of space that defines her elegant and minimalistic style.
Krantz’s photography can be found in galleries, museums and private collections worldwide. She has earned accolades from the International Photography Awards as well as the International Monochrome Awards. Her first book “Wild Horses of Cumberland Island” (2017) and “West: The American Cowboy” (2019) became immediate best sellers among the photography genre. The books and her art have been praised by International publications such as Vanity Fair, Town & Country, Time, Harper’s Bazaar, Daily Mail UK, New York Magazine, The Independent UK, Today, and Garden & Gun, among others.