The late Arlene Gottfried and her camera served as the eyes of New York life and subculture from the 1970s until the 2000s. Galerie Bene Taschen (Cologne) is due to exhibit selected photographs from her forty-year career, including some rare prints that have never before been exhibited. Opening from July 3 to 27, the exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to witness Arlene’s compassionate photographic vision.
Gottfried’s images are full of beauty and sincerity. She captured her subjects from the fringes of New York society in a way that did not exploit or sensationalise, but instead understood and cherished. Of this, Daniel Cooney said, “even though she might have been photographing a Puerto Rican community or African-American gospel singers, I think she felt like she was one of them.” This sense of belonging with her subjects is evident in the photographs, wherein people appear to let their guard down and invite Gottfried in to capture them in a moment of complete truth.
The exhibition Arlene Gottfried: Retrospective will open on July 3 and will be on view until July 27 at Galerie Bene Taschen, Moltkestrasse 81, Cologne (Germany).
Arlene Gottfried Striped Woman at Studio 54 New York, 1979 © Arlene Gottfried courtesy Galerie Bene Taschen
Arlene Gottfried Lloyd Steir and Dogs at the Big Apple Circus New York, 1976 © Arlene Gottfried courtesy Galerie Bene Taschen
Arlene Gottfried Puerto Rican Day Parade © Arlene Gottfried courtesy Galerie Bene Taschen
Arlene Gottfried Communion Lower East Side, New York 1985 © Arlene Gottfried courtesy Galerie Bene Taschen
Arlene Gottfried Dancing at Pool Granit Hotel, New York, 1985 © Arlene Gottfried courtesy Galerie Bene Taschen
Arlene Gottfried Baby with Paper Bag on Head Staten Island, 1974 © Arlene Gottfried courtesy Galerie Bene Taschen
Arlene Gottfried Butcher ́s Boy New York, 1975 © Arlene Gottfried courtesy Galerie Bene Taschen
Arlene Gottfried Eddie Sun ́s Fried Ironing New York, 1972 © Arlene Gottfried courtesy Galerie Bene Taschen