Van Deren, Coke

Van Deren, Coke (Frank)

(1921– ) photographer, gallery director; born in Lexington, Ky. Inspired by Ansel Adams, he left his business, Van Deren Hardware (1946–55), to pursue a career in the arts, earning a M.F.A. from Indiana University in 1958. His photographs won prizes in international competitions (1955–60) and he taught at Harvard, Arizona, and New Mexico State Universities. From 1979 to 1987 he was director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's photography department.