Sonora
1995
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 37.9 x 37.3 cm (14 15/16 x 14 11/16 in.) sheet: 50.5 x 40.6 cm (19 7/8 x 16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.392
Art Historical Context
**Sonora** (1995) by Lee Friedlander is a captivating gelatin silver print, measuring nearly 38 x 37 cm, now housed in the National Gallery of Art's photography collection, thanks to the Patrons' Permanent Fund. Friedlander, a master of American street photography since the 1960s, captures the everyday world with his signature complexity—layered compositions filled with reflections, shadows, and unexpected juxtapositions that draw viewers into a visual puzzle. Taken in 1995, this black-and-white image exemplifies Friedlander's mature style, rooted in the post-war documentary tradition yet inf...
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...