In the 1960s, the street photographer Bill Dane was an early pioneer in the photographic postcard phenomenon, getting his work seen far and wide while also sidestepping the gatekeepers of the traditional “art” world establishment. In forty years, he estimates he sent around 69,000 postcards. Some landed with John Szarkowski at MoMA, and they caught his attention, with Dane opening a solo show at the museum in 1973.
50 years later, Dane’s still taking the road less traveled. In collaboration with fellow photographer Dan Skjæveland, he self-published a photobook in 2020, which he described as a “no-frills monograph.” While printing and distribution have never been more accessible, “outsider artists” and photographers have always self-published in one way or another. Often, they’ve created work that replaces mainstream conventions with personal freedom of expression, fostering a one-to-one intimacy with collectors that’s rare to find elsewhere in the art world. “You have to create your own means for sharing your pictures,” Dane tells us.