Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Ave
212.534.1672
This event has passed.
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Ray Mortenson, Untitled (10-19-3-17A), 1983, © Ray Mortenson, Courtesy Janet Borden, Inc.
- When
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Nov 14, 2008 – Mar 8, 2009
Tuesdays–Sundays (10am–5pm)
- Where
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- Price
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$9
- Links
Note:
If you live or work in East Harlem, admission is free! Just say "I’m a neighbor" at the ticket stand.
The South Bronx, cradle of hip-hop, was ironically an urban tomb of crumbled buildings and deserted streets during the music genre's gestation. Photographer Ray Mortenson's portrayal of the abandoned neighborhood in the early '80s demonstrates civilization breaking down. Alongside his attention to texture (in shots of amassed rubble) and form (in successions of windowless apartment blocks), Mortenson's sense for the personal, human element proves most astute — a collared shirt hanging from a door handle, children's drawings on a wall, an armchair — all signs of former life among such dismal decay.
