Friedlander
Lee Friedlander's witty and unblinking view of everyday American life was showcased in this expansive exhibition that gathered more than 350 photographs plus trade and special edition books to trace a five-decade career. Born in 1934, he gained fame in the early 1960s with off-balance street photographs that evoke the complexity of modern life.
Always working in series, Friedlander mines what he calls "the American social landscape," beginning with a layered view of city streets—shop fronts, ads, televisions, and cars. This central theme was supplemented by subjects including portraits, self-portraits, landscapes, still lifes, nudes, and studies of people at work. This body of work stands as one of the major achievements in 20th-century art, combining astute observation and graphic verve to present a compelling vision of contemporary America.
This exhibition was organized by the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Made possible by Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell, Agnes Gund, Toby Devan Lewis, and Mark Schwartz and Bettina Katz. The Cleveland Museum of Art is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this exhibition with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
