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Photo of the Week #265

Laurence G. Miller

Black and white photo of a Manhattan street corner in the 1970s, shot from above.

Corner of 11th Avenue and West 22nd Street, New York City, 1974
Archival pigment print

Description

October 1, 2023
In the summer of 1974, I arrived in New York City to start my new job at LIGHT Gallery on Madison Avenue. On Sundays, I would venture down to the old elevated West Side Highway, then closed to all traffic except pedestrians and bicyclists. The highway gave me a safe and unique perspective of the western edge of Manhattan Island, and I walked and photographed frequently from the mid-40's down to the emerging World Trade Center. My goal was to capture this mostly desolate area in the belief that eventually, like everything else, it would one day all be gone.

When the New York Times contacted me to recommend photographers who worked specifically in the west Chelsea area before the galleries moved in, the only person I could think of was myself. So I am delighted to have one of my pictures published in the enlightening story that is linked below. 

Please inquire if you are interested in seeing more photographs from this series.

Larry Miller

 

Link to the peice in the T Magazine art issue:

"How Chelsea Became the Unlikely Center of the Art World"