New York City
1965
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 35.2 cm (11 x 13 7/8 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.431
Art Historical Context
**New York City, 1965** Lee Friedlander’s *New York City* (1965) is a gelatin silver print that embodies the photographer’s signature street photography style during the vibrant, chaotic 1960s. Friedlander, a key figure in American documentary photography, often transformed urban scenes into dense, layered compositions filled with reflections, signs, and architectural fragments. Captured in the heart of Manhattan amid postwar economic boom and cultural flux, this image reflects New York’s pulsating energy, where towering skyscrapers and bustling streets symbolized modernity and anonymity. P...
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...