Published to accompany the Museum of Modern Art, NYC, 2005, exhibition of Lee Friedlander's work. Photographs by Friedlander; text by Peter Galassi. Accordion tri-fold brochure; 21 x 8.5 inches, folded to 5.25 x 8.5 inches, with 8 panels, as issued; 9 b&w reproductions.
The book accompanied a major exhibition of Friedlander's works at MOMA. Unlike his other essays published on various other occasions, Peter's essay here is downright boring and a drag. The beginning holds attention because it describes the early childhood of Friedlander and his early attempts at photography . However the essay struggles to hold your attention in the middle because there are just too many ideas and events floating around without composing a coherent picture. Towards the end the essay starts making you feel sleepy and you save yourself by completely skipping it!
Lee Friedlander's first and most iconic body of images, Self Portrait is a book I'd been looking to get for awhile. I teach high school and showed his work along with Frank and Winogrand and was shocked that my high school students were disgusted by Friedlander's images. I'd never thought of them as that subversive or challenging, but apparently, his dry, deadpan humor and blocked up visual fields are painful for 16 year old girls. So if you're a 16 year old girl, beware. I still think they're worth spending some time with, though.
A compilation of the photography of Lee Friedlander spanning more than 30 years. The master of the black and white snapshot. These are not staged or "artsy"but he has a good eye for juxtaposition and the ordinary.