Self-Portrait
1964/1969
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 19.5 x 12.9 cm (7 11/16 x 5 1/16 in.) mount: 35.4 x 27.9 cm (13 15/16 x 11 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.101
Art Historical Context
Lee Friedlander's *Self-Portrait* (4/1969) is a compelling gelatin silver print that captures the artist's innovative approach to photography during the vibrant 1960s American scene. Friedlander, a pioneering figure in street photography associated with the "New York," frequently turned the lens on himself, using urban environments—windows, mirrors, and shadows—to fragment and multiply his image. This modest-sized work (image: 19.5 x 12.9 cm) his playful yet probing self-examination, blending autobiography with the chaos of city life. Printed in gelatin silver, a classic black-and-white proce...
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...