Two new exhibitions of photographs, “Landmarks of New York,” curated by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, and “Harlem 1970′009: Photographs by Camilo José Vergara,” will be on view at the New-York Historical Society (NYHS) from April 30 through July 12, offering visitors contrasting yet complementary visions of the urban landscape as a site of historic change.
The 83 black and white images in “Landmarks of New York,” taken by various photographers, document notable buildings, interiors and scenic landmarks throughout the five boroughs that have been given landmark status by the City of New York. The 100 images in “Harlem 1970′009,” all taken by MacArthur Foundation “genius award” winner Vergara, show streetscapes that the photographer visited repeatedly over the course of 38 years, so he could create a composite, time-lapse portrait of a vibrant, world-famous neighborhood seen as a place of ongoing transformation.
“Landmarks of New York” has traveled to 82 countries under the sponsorship of the US Department of State since 2006 and is now coming home to New York for its final showing. The photographs in the exhibition will then enter the NYHS collection through a donation from Diamonstein-Spielvogel. “Harlem 1970′009” is organized by NYHS.
Each of the photographs in “Landmarks of New York” is accompanied by historic descriptive text about the landmark and its significance to the social fabric of New York. The photographs, selected from images of more than 1,224 landmarks designated between 1965 and March 2009, include views of buildings constructed between 1640 and 1967. Some notable examples include Bowne House (1661) in Queens, and in Manhattan, City Hall (1803‱2), Chrysler Building (1928″0), Empire State Building (1930″1), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Interior (1956‵9), One Chase Manhattan Plaza (1957) and Ford Foundation Building (1963‱967).
The photographs in “Harlem, 1970-2009” tell a different kind of story. Selected from the artist’s archive on the Invincible Cities website (http://invinciblecities.camden.rutgers.edu/intro.html), the exhibition includes highlights such as a sequence of eight photographs taken between 1977 and 2007 outside of 65 East 125th Street, showing the successive lives of the building: as a local nightclub, a discount variety store, a smoke shop, a clothing boutique, a Sleepy’s bedding outlet and, most recently, a vacant storefront with a “for rent” sign posted on the building.
The New-York Historical Society is at 170 Central Park West. For information, www.nyhistory.org or 212-873-3400.
