New City, New York
1996
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 37.8 x 37.3 cm (14 7/8 x 14 11/16 in.) sheet: 50.5 x 40.6 cm (19 7/8 x 16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.252
Art Historical Context
Lee Friedlander's *New City, New York (1996) captures pulsating energy of urban America through the lens of one of the 20th century's most innovative photographers. A key figure in the "New York School" of street photography alongside contemporaries like Garry Winogrand and Diane Arbus, Friedlander renowned for his unflinching, layered depictions of city life. This gelatin silver print, produced in the traditional darkroom process that yields exceptional tonal depth and detail, reflects his mature vision at age 62, distilling New York's architectural chaos into a nearly square composition (37....
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...