Lee Friedlander
Encyclopedia
Lee Friedlander is an American
photographer and artist
. In the 1960s and 70s, working primarily with 35mm cameras and black and white film, Friedlander evolved an influential and often imitated visual language of urban "social landscape," with many of the photographs including fragments of store-front reflections, structures framed by fences, posters and street-signs.
located in Pasadena, California. In 1956, he moved to New York City
where he photographed jazz
musicians for record covers. His early work was influenced by Eugène Atget
, Robert Frank
, and Walker Evans
. In 1960, the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
awarded Friedlander a grant to focus on his art and made subsequent grants in 1962 and 1977. Some of his most famous photographs appeared in the September 1985 Playboy, black and white nude photographs of Madonna
from the late 1970s. A student at the time, she was paid only $25 for her 1979 set, and in 2009, one of the images fetched $37,500 at a Christie's Art House auction.
Working primarily with Leica 35mm cameras and black and white film, Friedlander's style focused on the "social landscape". His art used detached images of urban life, store-front reflections, structures framed by fences, and posters and signs all combining to capture the look of modern life.
In 1963, the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House
mounted Friedlander's first solo museum show. Friedlander was then a key figure in curator John Szarkowski
's 1967 "New Documents" exhibition, at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York City
along with Garry Winogrand
and Diane Arbus
. In 1990, the MacArthur Foundation
awarded Friedlander a MacArthur Fellowship
.
Friedlander now works primarily with medium format cameras (e.g. Hasselblad Superwide). While suffering from arthritis and housebound, he focused on photographing his surroundings. His book, Stems, reflects his life during the time of his knee replacement surgery. He has said that his "limbs" reminded him of plant stems. These images display textures which were not a feature of his earlier work. In this sense, the images are similar to those of Josef Sudek
who also photographed the confines of his home and studio.
In 2005, the Museum of Modern Art presented a major retrospective of Friedlander's career, including nearly 400 photographs from the 1950s to the present. In the same year he received a Hasselblad International Award. The retrospective exhibition was presented again in 2008 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
(SFMOMA). Concurrent to this retrospective, a more contemporary body of his work, America By Car, was displayed at the Fraenkel Gallery not far from SFMOMA. "America By Car" was on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art
in New York City in late 2010.
He is the father of cellist Erik Friedlander
, and Anna Friedlander.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. In the 1960s and 70s, working primarily with 35mm cameras and black and white film, Friedlander evolved an influential and often imitated visual language of urban "social landscape," with many of the photographs including fragments of store-front reflections, structures framed by fences, posters and street-signs.
Life and work
Friedlander studied photography at the Art Center College of DesignArt Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...
located in Pasadena, California. In 1956, he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he photographed jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians for record covers. His early work was influenced by Eugène Atget
Eugène Atget
Eugène Atget was a French photographer noted for his photographs documenting the architecture and street scenes of Paris....
, Robert Frank
Robert Frank
Robert Frank , born in Zürich, Switzerland, is an important figure in American photography and film. His most notable work, the 1958 photobook titled The Americans, was influential, and earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his fresh and skeptical outsider's view of American...
, and Walker Evans
Walker Evans
Walker Evans was an American photographer best known for his work for the Farm Security Administration documenting the effects of the Great Depression. Much of Evans's work from the FSA period uses the large-format, 8x10-inch camera...
. In 1960, the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
awarded Friedlander a grant to focus on his art and made subsequent grants in 1962 and 1977. Some of his most famous photographs appeared in the September 1985 Playboy, black and white nude photographs of Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
from the late 1970s. A student at the time, she was paid only $25 for her 1979 set, and in 2009, one of the images fetched $37,500 at a Christie's Art House auction.
Working primarily with Leica 35mm cameras and black and white film, Friedlander's style focused on the "social landscape". His art used detached images of urban life, store-front reflections, structures framed by fences, and posters and signs all combining to capture the look of modern life.
In 1963, the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House
George Eastman House
The George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and...
mounted Friedlander's first solo museum show. Friedlander was then a key figure in curator John Szarkowski
John Szarkowski
John Szarkowski was a photographer, curator, historian, and critic. From 1962 to 1991 Szarkowski was the Director of Photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art.-Early life and career:...
's 1967 "New Documents" exhibition, at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
along with Garry Winogrand
Garry Winogrand
Garry Winogrand was a street photographer known for his portrayal of America in the mid-20th century. John Szarkowski called him the central photographer of his generation....
and Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus March 14, 1923 – July 26, 1971) was an American photographer and writer noted for black-and-white square photographs of "deviant and marginal people or of people whose normality seems ugly or surreal." A friend said that Arbus said that she was "afraid.....
. In 1990, the MacArthur Foundation
MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
awarded Friedlander a MacArthur Fellowship
MacArthur Fellows Program
The MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T...
.
Friedlander now works primarily with medium format cameras (e.g. Hasselblad Superwide). While suffering from arthritis and housebound, he focused on photographing his surroundings. His book, Stems, reflects his life during the time of his knee replacement surgery. He has said that his "limbs" reminded him of plant stems. These images display textures which were not a feature of his earlier work. In this sense, the images are similar to those of Josef Sudek
Josef Sudek
Josef Sudek was a Czech photographer, best known for his photographs of Prague.Originally a bookbinder. During The First World War he was drafted into Austro-Hungarian Army. In 1915 and served on the Italian Front until he was wounded in the right arm in 1916...
who also photographed the confines of his home and studio.
In 2005, the Museum of Modern Art presented a major retrospective of Friedlander's career, including nearly 400 photographs from the 1950s to the present. In the same year he received a Hasselblad International Award. The retrospective exhibition was presented again in 2008 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
(SFMOMA). Concurrent to this retrospective, a more contemporary body of his work, America By Car, was displayed at the Fraenkel Gallery not far from SFMOMA. "America By Car" was on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
in New York City in late 2010.
He is the father of cellist Erik Friedlander
Erik Friedlander
Erik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City.A veteran of NYC's experimental downtown scene, Friedlander has worked in many contexts, but is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with saxophonist/composer John Zorn...
, and Anna Friedlander.
Selected books
- E.J. Bellocq: Storyville Portraits. Photographs from the New Orleans Red-Light District, Circa 1912. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1970. Photographs reproduced from prints by Friedlander; preface by Friedlander.
- Self Portrait. New City, NY: Haywire Press, 1970.
- The American Monument. New York: Eakins Press Foundation, 1976. ISBN 0871300435.
- Lee Friedlander Photographs. New City, NY: Haywire Press, 1978.
- Factory Valleys: Ohio & Pennsylvania. New York, NY: Callaway Editions, 1982. ISBN 0935112049.
- Lee Friedlander Portraits. Boston: Little, Brown, 1985. ISBN 0821216023.
- Like a One-Eyed Cat: Photographs by Lee Friedlander, 1956-1987. New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with the Seattle Art Museum, 1989. ISBN 0810912740.
- Nudes. New York: Pantheon Books, 1991. ISBN 0679404848.
- The Jazz People of New Orleans. New York: Pantheon Books, 1992. ISBN 0679416382.
- Maria. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992. ISBN 1560982071.
- Letters from the People. New York: D.A.P/Distributed Art Publishers, 1993. ISBN 1881616053.
- Bellocq: Photographs from Storyville, the Red-Light District of New Orleans. New York: Random House, 1996. ISBN 0679449752. Photographs reproduced from prints by Friedlander.
- The Desert Seen. New York: D.A.P/Distributed Art Publishers, 1996. ISBN 1881616754.
- Viewing Olmsted: Photographs by Robert Burley, Lee Friedlander, and Geoffrey James. Montréal: Canadian Centre for Architecture, 1996. ISBN 0920785581. By Phyllis Lambert.
- American Musicians: Photographs by Lee Friedlander. New York: D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, 1998. ISBN 1564660567. By Friedlander, Steve Lacy, and Ruth Brown.
- Self Portrait, second edition. New City, NY: D.A.P./Fraenkel Gallery, 1998. ISBN 1881616967. By Friedlander and John Szarkowski.
- Lee Friedlander. San Francisco: Fraenkel Gallery, 2000. ISBN 188133709X.
- Lee Friedlander at Work. New York: D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, 2002. ISBN 1891024485.
- Stems. New York: D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, 2003. ISBN 1891024752.
- Lee Friedlander: Sticks and Stones: Architectural America. San Francisco: Fraenkel Gallery, 2004. ISBN 1891024973. By Friedlander and James Enyeart.
- Self Portrait, third edition. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 2005. ISBN 0870703382. By Friedlander and John Szarkowski.
- Friedlander. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 2005. ISBN 0870703439. By Peter Galassi.
- Cherry Blossom Time in Japan: The Complete Works. Fraenkel Gallery, 2006. ISBN 1881337200.
- Lee Friedlander: New Mexico. Santa Fe, NM: Radius Books, 2008. ISBN 9781934435113. By Friedlander, Andrew Smith, and Emily Ballew Neff.
- America by Car. San Francisco: Fraenkel Gallery, 2010. ISBN 9781935202080.
External links
- Fraenkel Gallery represents Lee Friedlander
- Janet Borden, Inc. Friedlander's New York representatives
- Lee Friedlander's photogravures at Panopticon Gallery
- Lee Friedlander (American, 1934) on MutualArt.com
- Further articles, photographs and resources.
- Retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art
- Lee Friedlander’s nudes of Madonna
- Illustrated Bibliography: Lee Friedlander