Ayerscliff, Canada
1997
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 37.9 x 37.5 cm (14 15/16 x 14 3/4 in.) sheet: 50.6 x 40.8 cm (19 15/16 x 16 1/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.273
Art Historical Context
**Ayerscliff, Canada (1997) is a striking gelatin silver print by Lee Friedlander, one of America's most influential photographers. Captured late in his prolific career, this square-format image (37.9 x 37.5 cm) evokes Friedlander's signature style: a keen eye for the American—and here, Canadian—social landscape. Known for his complex compositions that layer foreground details, reflections, and urban or natural elements into disorienting yet revealing tableaux, Friedlander often transformed ordinary scenes into profound visual puzzles. This work, from a trip to Ayers Cliff in Quebec, likely re...
About the Artist
Lee Friedlander
Lee Friedlander, born on July 14, 1934, in Aberdeen, Washington, to a Finnish-descended mother, Kaari Nurmi, and German-Jewish émigré father, Fritz Friedlander, discovered photography at age 14 amid a fascination with the medium's equipment. Tragedy marked his childhood when his mother died of cancer at age seven, yet he pursued his passion, earning pocket money with a camera before studying under...