Self-Portrait
1970
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 16 x 24.1 cm (6 5/16 x 9 1/2 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
2001.22.177
Art Historical Context
Lee Friedlander's *Self-Portrait* (0) is a striking gelatin silver print, a classic black-and-white photographic medium that captures fine details and tonal range with remarkable clarity. Measuring 16 x 24.1 cm, this intimate image exemplifies Friedlander's innovative approach to self-portraiture during the post-war American photography boom. As a key figure in the "New Snapshot" movement alongside contemporaries like Garry Winogrand and Diane Arbus, Friedlander transformed everyday urban scenes into complex visual puzzles, often inserting himself into reflections, shadows, or glass surfaces. ...
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...