New City, New York
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 40.6 cm (19 15/16 x 16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.274
Art Historical Context
**New City, New York** (1997) is a striking gelatin silver print by Lee Friedlander, master of American street photography. Capturing the pulsating energy of New York City nearly square-on at 37.9 x 37.5 cm, this image exemplifies Friedlander's lifelong fascination with urban density. Acquired through the Patrons' Permanent Fund for the National Gallery of Art's photography collection (CPH), the work showcases the medium's rich tonal gradations, where silver halides embedded in gelatin emulsion produce deep blacks and luminous highlights—hallmarks of traditional darkroom artistry in the digita...
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...