Biography French photographer Anouk Masson Krantz traveled the West to capture the everyday lives of The American Cowboy. "Even as a child growing up in France, Anouk Masson Krantz loved horses and cowboys. After she moved to the United States as an adult, her youthful passions evolved into photographic projects spanning years. Her first book, the bestselling Wild Horses of Cumberland Island, compiled a decade’s worth of photographs taken on a remote barrier island off the coast of Georgia. Her new book, WEST: The American Cowboy, offers a contemporary depiction of Western ranch and rodeo life."
“They were surprised that I wasn’t trying to use props or asking them to pose for me. I asked them to simply go about their day as if I wasn’t there. Most of the photography is intentionally shot from behind or from a distance because I didn’t want the work to be about any one individual — it’s about the spirit of the cowboy.” Living in New York, she completed high school at the Lycee Francais and earned her bachelor's degree while working for a lifestyle magazine. Following college she worked at Cartier's corporate office in New York that oversees the Americas.
Anouk later studied at the International Center of Photography and has developed several notable bodies of work, including Wild Horses of Cumberland Island. Her next series and monograph, "WEST The American Cowboy" is due out soon.
Her work can be found in museums and private collections across the country and has earned accolades from the International Photography Awards and International Monochrome Awards. Her art has been praised by international publications such as Vanity Fair, Town & Country, Time, Harper's Bazaar, Daily Mail UK, and Garden and Gun, Cowboys & Indians among many others.
AMERICAN COWBOYS by Anouk Krantz from Visions West Contemporary on Vimeo.