A look back at the incredible legacy of Arlene Gottfried
- Text by HUCK HQ
- Photography by Arlene Gottfried / Daniel Cooney Fine Art Gallery
Arlene Gottfried, the legendary American photographer famed for her street shots of New York’s under-represented communities, is being celebrated in a new exhibition at the city’s Daniel Cooney Fine Art Gallery.
The show, titled A Lifetime of Wandering, aims to pay tribute to Gottfried, who passed away at the age of 66 last August. It will include a varied selection of her black and white, colour and Polaroid photographs, all taken between the ’70s and ’90s.
A New York native, Gottfried grew up above a hardware store in Coney Island, before moving to Crown Heights at the age of nine. She became fascinated by the neighbourhood’s dominant Puerto Rican community, and – after being given an old camera by her father – began to take pictures in a bid to better understand the vibrant local culture. This eventually led to her taking a place at the Fashion Institute of Technology to study photography (where she was, at the time, the only woman in her class).
“My mother used to say ‘Arlene – don’t just wander!’” she told TIME magazine in 2011. “Then I started wandering, but I got a camera because it gave it a little more meaning… A life of wandering is really what it all it is.”
The photographer’s wanderings led her to shoot for The New York Times, Life, Newsweek and TIME. But it was her ability to empathise and identify with people from all walks of life that gave her an edge over her contemporaries, as well as her voracious curiosity to find out more about her hometown’s diverse communities.
“I think I wander around and I see things that just speak to me, in one way or another,” she added. “There are things that you try to say something about, or a moment you want to hold.”
Arlene Gottfried’s A Lifetime Of Wandering is on show at New York’s Daniel Cooney Gallery until April 28.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski and Andrea Arnold on ‘Bird’
The new issue of Little White Lies brings Andrea Arnold’s sixth feature to life with a thematic voyage down the Thames estuary.
Written by: Maisy Hunter
“A party is a microcosm of a nation”: Caleb Femi on the decline of the house party
To celebrate the publication of his new collection ‘The Wickedest’, Isaac Muk caught up with Femi to talk more about the work, the future of the shoobs, and discuss why having it large on a Saturday night should be cherished.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Celebrating 20 years of The Mighty Boosh
A new exhibition takes a look behind the scenes of the iconic show two decades after its BBC3 premiere.
Written by: Isaac Muk
We Run Mountains: Black Trail Runners tackle Infinite Trails
Soaking up the altitude and adrenaline at Europe’s flagship trail running event, high in the Austrian Alps, with three rising British runners of colour.
Written by: Phil Young
The organisation levelling the playing field in the music industry
Founded in 2022, The Name Game is committed to helping female, non-binary and trans people navigate the industry.
Written by: Djené Kaba
Vibrant, rebellious portraits of young Cubans
A new photobook captures the young people redefining Cuban identity amidst increased economic and political turbulence on the Caribbean island.
Written by: Isaac Muk