Self-Portrait
1964/1969
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 16.2 x 24.3 cm (6 3/8 x 9 9/16 in.) sheet: 27.9 x 35.4 cm (11 x 13 15/16 in.) mount: 27.9 x 35.6 cm (11 x 14 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.169
Art Historical Context
Lee Friedlander's *Self-Portrait* (4/1969) is a striking gelatin silver print from the National Gallery of's collection, acquired through the Patrons' Permanent Fund. 16.2 x 24.3 cm in its image area, this intimate black-and-white photograph exemplifieslander's mastery during the 1960s, a pivotal era for American street photography when artists captured the raw energy of urban life amid post-war social shifts. Renowned for his innovative "social landscape" style, Fried often disrupted traditional composition with layered reflections, shadows, and signage, embedding the self within fragmented ...
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...