Woody Guthrie at Cooper Union
1960, printed 1997
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 47.94 × 31.43 cm (18 7/8 × 12 3/8 in.) sheet: 50.17 × 40.32 cm (19 3/4 × 15 7/8 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of John Cohen in honor of Dio & Gabel Cramer)
Accession Number
2015.19.4959
Art Historical Context
In this striking gelatin silver print from 1960 (printed 1997), photographer John Cohen captures the legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie at Cooper Union, storied New York institution renowned for its public lectures and artistic legacy. Guthrie, immortalized here with his guitar and resolute gaze, embodies the spirit of American protest music. Best known for anthems like "This Land Your Land," he chronicled the Dust Bowl migrations and labor struggles of the Great Depression era, influencing generations including Bob Dylan. Taken during the folk music revival of the early 1960s, the image ref...
About the Artist
John Cohen
John Cohen (1932–2019) was a pioneering American photographer, painter, musician, and filmmaker whose multifaceted career bridged the vibrant art scenes of mid-20th-century New York and the raw authenticity of Appalachian folk traditions. Born on August 2, 1932, in Sunnyside, Queens, to Israel Cohen, a shoe store owner, he grew up on eastern Long Island, where he first picked up the guitar and ban...