New City, New York
1968
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 19.1 x 28.6 cm (7 1/2 x 11 1/4 in.) sheet: 27.9 x 35.4 cm (11 x 13 15/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.204
Art Historical Context
**New City, New York** (1968) is a striking gelatin silver print by Lee Friedlander, a master of American street photography associated with the New York School alongside contemporaries like Garry Winogrand and Diane Arbus. Friedlander's work often captures the chaotic energy of urban environments through dense, layered compositions filled with reflections, signage, and architectural fragments. This 19.1 x 28.6 cm image exemplifies his innovative approach, inviting viewers to navigate the visual complexity of mid-20th-century city life. Created in 1968, amid New York's postwar boom and social...
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...