Pink Teacup, N.Y.C. Possibly 1973 - 1994

Richard Gordon shot this photograph, Pink Teacup, N.Y.C., sometime between 1963 and 1976. It shows three framed photographs hanging on a wall. Looking at these images, I can't help but feel the intimacy of the space. Gordon's decision to capture these frames in his frame – so meta! – transforms the gallery wall into a deeply personal space. You can almost feel the weight of history in the stark black and white tones, so typical of photographs from that time. I wonder if Gordon chose to photograph these specific pictures to say something about identity, memory, and the ever-evolving narrative of life in New York City? It makes me think about the ways in which artists are constantly building on what's come before, remixing and reinterpreting the past to create something new. In the end, art is just a long, ongoing conversation across time, and Gordon is right in the thick of it.