Reflecting

Mitch Epstein
Untitled [New York #3], 1995
Chromogenic development print
2020.10.650

Mitch Epstein
Untitled [New York], 1997
Chromogenic development print
2020.10.125

Peter Kayafas
New York City, 1996
Gelatin silver print
2020.10.207

Stephen Barker
Nightswimming, 1993–1994
Gelatin silver print
2020.10.9

Sylvia Plachy
Virgil Thomson, 1986
Gelatin silver print
2020.10.321

Matthew Pillsbury
Dennis and Anamila, BBC News/Access Hollywood, 2003
Archival pigment print
2020.10.312

Robert Frank
Andrea on Third Avenue, 1955
Gelatin silver print
2020.10.154

Swiss-born Robert Frank immigrated to New York in 1947 to work for Alexey Brodovitch at Harper’s Bazaar. Frank continued to create editorial work for magazines such as Life, LOOK, and Vogue until he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1955. The award freed him to travel throughout the country for two years to make the photographs that would result in his seminal book, The Americans. This photograph, of Frank’s daughter Andrea in their apartment near Astor Place on Third Avenue, is emblematic of much of the photographer’s work; it is tender and intimate while remaining slightly enigmatic.

Louis Faurer
Mary and Robert Frank at San Gennaro Festival, 1950
Gelatin silver print
2020.10.147

Louis Faurer was born in Philadelphia, where he worked as a photo technician in portrait studios. After serving in the U.S. Signal Corps of Philadelphia during World War II, he began to commute to New York City for work at magazines and attended classes at Alexey Brodovitch’s Design Laboratory. There, he met fellow photographer Robert Frank. The two became fast friends and Faurer eventually moved into Frank’s large loft and used his darkroom. At the time, Faurer worked for various magazines, including Harper’s Bazaar, Life, Vogue, and the short-lived Flair.

This image, made in those early days in New York, reflects Faurer’s close relationship with Frank and his then-wife Mary. The late 1940s and 1950s were especially important to Faurer’s development as a photographer and were when he created his most memorable images of New York. As in this photograph, Faurer concentrated his image making on people out on the streets, reflections of store windows, and the bright city lights. This psychologically charged work highlights the complexity and energy of city life.

Mitch Epstein
Untitled [New York #11], 1996
Chromogenic development print
2020.10.91

Peter Hujar
Hudson River, 1975
Gelatin silver print
2020.10.201

Peter Hujar
Hudson River, 1975
Gelatin silver print
2020.10.202

Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Peter Hujar learned his craft in the field of commercial photography before joining the downtown art scene in New York. There, he befriended several important art world figures, including Andy Warhol, Susan Sontag, and his later partner David Wojnarowicz. Hujar became known for his black-and-white portraiture, often depicting his friends and acquaintances in intimate settings. Less well known are his photographs made around New York. Hujar would often carry his medium-format camera with him on his bicycle as he traversed the city. He also photographed the gay life that took place on the West Side piers in the 1970s and 1980s. These two contemplative prints of the Hudson River were likely made during one of these forays. Here, he treats the surface of the river much like the surface of a human face, creating a penetrating yet abstract portrait.

Joseph Maida
Ben With Fan, 2001
Chromogenic development print
2020.10.258