New York (Four Heads)

Artist William Klein (American, 1926 - 2022)

Date1954; printed 1984

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 13 × 9 15/16 inches (33.02 × 25.24 cm)
Sheet: 15 15/16 × 11 7/8 inches (40.48 × 30.16 cm)

Credit LineGift of Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Object number2005.27.4179

SignedSigned on sheet verso, lower right, in pencil: "William Klein 1984"

InscribedOn sheet verso, lower left, in pencil: "New York 1954, 4 heads"

MarkingsOn sheet verso, upper right, in pencil: "x"

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DescriptionImage of a smiling woman wearing a hat with a thin veil looking towards the left edge of the frame. Behind her are three men which appear to be walking in a crowded area.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

William Klein compressed the space of this photograph by adjusting the lens of his 35mm camera so that each person seems to exist on the same plane, despite their actual physical distance. Klein was greatly influenced by his painting teacher, French artist Fernand Léger. After a few years of studying painting in Paris, Klein began to pursue photography, which he said “gave me a way to deal with everyday life that I no longer could fit into my painting.”

Provenance

Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York, NY;
Purchased from Edwynn Houk Gallery by Hallmark Cards, Inc., Kansas City, MO, 1985;
Given by Hallmark Cards, Inc. to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2005.

CopyrightThis work is copyrighted. Contact VAGA, New York, New York

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