Accession Number2000/2.158.1
TitleJFK Airport, New York City
Artist(s)Joel MeyerowitzArtist NationalityAmerican (North American)Object Creation Date1968Medium & Supportgelatin silver print on paperDimensions 11 in x 14 in (27.94 cm x 35.56 cm);217 1/2 in x 22 1/8 in (552.45 cm x 56.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Selma & Gerald LotenbergLabel copyMeyerowitz has the ability to convey the mysterious through unusual juxtapositions of the ordinary. A Cadillac in snow at an airport parking lot is elevated to something mystical by the presence of the Christmas star decoration glowing above it in the darkness. The incongruities of the car and star in the Kennedy Airport lot come together to create an unearthly image of hope.
For the exhibition New York Observed: The Mythology of the City
(July 13 – September 22, 2003)
Subject matterIn this black-and-white photograph, a sedan is parked in an empty lot surrounded by trees on a snowy winter night. A brightly-lit electric Christmas star in the background on the right side of the image towers above the treeline and illuminates specks of precipitation in mid-air. A multitude of leafless branches emanate from a tree on the left side of the image and add visual interest to areas where they overlap and intersect with flags and other trees in the background.
Physical DescriptionA sedan parked in an empty lot on a snowy night is illuminated by a brightly-lit electric Christmas star.
Primary Object ClassificationPhotographCollection AreaPhotographyRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
Christmas
car
sedans
snow
snow (precipitation)
stars
trees
winter