MOMA, N.Y.C. Possibly 1973 - 1994

Richard Gordon captured this image, MOMA, N.Y.C., with his camera. Gordon, who lived from 1945 to 2012, often framed his subjects with a keen eye for the ways individuals relate to their surroundings. The image presents a woman crouched low in a corner of the Museum of Modern Art. She seems absorbed, perhaps examining a detail easily overlooked. What is she looking at so intently? What does it mean to be so close to a wall? Is it a form of reverence, curiosity, or perhaps critique? Consider the museum itself, a space traditionally associated with privilege and a specific, often exclusionary, cultural narrative. The woman’s posture, submissive in its lowness, invites us to question the power dynamics inherent in the art world. The image quietly challenges the accepted hierarchies of viewing and being seen, suggesting alternative ways of engaging with art and space. Ultimately, Gordon’s photograph gently pushes at the boundaries of how we perceive, experience, and position ourselves within cultural institutions.