New York City
1971
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 20.3 x 30.5 cm (8 x 12 in.) sheet: 27.8 x 35.4 cm (10 15/16 x 13 15/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.443
Art Historical Context
**New York City, 1971** Leelander's *New York City* captures bustling energy of urban America through his signature street photography style. A master of the medium since the 1960s, Friedlander was celebrated for his innovative compositions that layer reflections, shadows, and signage into dense, fractured views of everyday life. This gelatin silver print, measuring 20.3 x 30.5 cm, his ability to transform chaotic cityscapes into visually intricate tableaux, often drawing from the social landscape tradition pioneered by photographers like Walker Evans. Created in 1971, amid America's 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...