Lee Friedlander: Self Portrait, New York: D.A.P., 1998, p. 28 L. Friedlander, In the Picture: Self Portraits 1958-2011, New Haven: Yale UP, 2011, p. 86 P. Galassi, Friedlander, New York: MoMA, 2015, p. 142
Catalogue Essay
These early prints of Self Portrait, Westport, Connecticut, 1968 (lot 93) and Galax, Virginia, 1962 (lot 94) showcase the hallmarks of Lee Friedlander’s prolific photographic oeuvre. While working as a freelance photographer at the start of his career, Friedlander’s shadow would inevitability fall within the frame of the picture he was about to shoot. Thus a typical accident in photography turned into his art. In Self Portrait, Westport, Connecticut, he skilfully layers his shadow and reflection over the store window advertisement; both photographer and model mirror one another while holding their cameras, providing a rich and playful execution of the artist’s self portrait.
Friedlander’s iconic Galax, Virginia depicts his interest in the American social landscape. He presents an unembellished interior that captures a human subject through the small frame of the television – emphasising the proliferation of televisions in 1960s America. In both of these classic Friedlander images, his photographic wit and sensibility are unwavering.
1968 Gelatin silver print, printed 1970s, flush-mounted. 23.2 x 15.4 cm (9 1/8 x 6 1/8 in.) Titled and dated in pencil in the margin; signed in pencil and copyright credit reproduction limitation stamp on the reverse of the flush-mount.
Estimate £10,000 - 15,000
Sold for £11,250
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