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New York, New York, 1979. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
New York, New York, 1979. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Hollywood, California, 1979. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Kamakura, Japan, 1988. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
New York, New York 1979. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Cape Canaveral, Florida, 1985. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Disneyland, California, 1979. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Canadian Rockies, 1986. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Lake Louise, Alberta, 1986. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Lake Moraine, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1986. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Lake Ninevah, Vermont, 1985. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Lake Ninevah, Vermont, 1985. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Lightning Field, North Dakota, 1986. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
London, England, 1983. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
London, England, 1983. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Monument Valley, Arizona, 1987. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, 1986. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Paris, France, 1983. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Paris, France, 1983. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Pisa, Italy, 1989. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Rome, Italy, 1989. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Rome, Italy, 1989. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
San Francisco, California, 1979. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Washington, D.C., 1982. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Niagara Falls, New York, 1984. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Cape Canaveral, Florida, 1985. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Grand Canyon, Arizona, 1987. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
New York, New York, 1979. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 16 inches.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, New York, "KING PLEASURE" sitting with coffee cup, 1987. Chromogenic print, 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches.
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, New York, 1985. Chromogenic print, 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches.
Andy Warhol, New York, with Liz Taylor's portrait in Fred Hughes' red studio, 1985. Chromogenic print, 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches.
Keith Haring on couch, New York studio, 1988. Chromogenic print, 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, Tseng studied photography at L'Académie Julian in Paris. In 1978, Tseng moved to Manhattan, becoming a fixture of New York’s downtown art scene and a close friend of Keith Haring whose work and activities he documented. Soon after arriving, Tseng began the series East Meets West, photographing himself at iconic tourist locales throughout America, wearing a “Mao suit”, dark sunglasses and an enigmatic expression. Pictured at the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and other monumental sites, Tseng’s persona suggests that of an austere, visiting dignitary, paying homage to sites signifying American greatness.
Deceased in 1990 at age thirty-nine from AIDS-related illness, Tseng’s work has been widely exhibited and published. His work is in numerous public collections, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; Tate Britain; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., and many others. In 2015, a retrospective Tseng Kwong Chi: Performing For the Camera was held at the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, and the Grey Art Gallery at New York University.
October 6, 2024 – April 6, 2025
Featuring some 100 works by more than 80 artists, The ʼ70s Lens examines how photographers reinvented documentary practice during this radical shift in American life. The questions these artists explored—about photography’s ethics, truth, and power—continue to be considered today.