The 4th St. Photo Gallery
Neighborhood: East Village
Type of Place: Galleries
Description:
"I take documentations and make them art," explains East Village resident and photographer Alex Harsley, who runs the 4th St. Photo Gallery. A visit to this intimate and refreshingly unpretentious gallery space will give you the chance to share Harsley's embracing vision—and to see New York as it has existed over the last almost 50 years.
Harsley opened the gallery in this space in 1973. He started out showing the work of other noted photographers—such as Bob Shamis, who is now the photography curator at the Museum of the City of New York. In recent years, however, he has taken to showing his own photography. His displays vary every two or three weeks; 90 percent of the images are NYC-based. We loved a 1959 Harlem street scene and 1964 shots of Miriam Makeeba and John Coltrane at the Apollo. A photo of a 6-day bike race at Madison Square Garden, also from 1959, was both nostalgic and timelessly exciting. Photos of Mohammed Ali, though not on display when we visited, sound very promising. In addition to the photography, we were impressed with Harsley himself, who in his soft-spoken way was gracious, friendly, and accommodating—well before we told him we were planning to write about the gallery. Prints sell for $300–$800, depending on their rarity. But if that doesn't fit your budget, good news: digital prints of the photos will be available soon, for $25 each.
Drop in for look around and a visit with a veteran New Yorker; you might end up taking home a vibrant image of the city's history. - Pamela Grossman; 01/2005
The 4th St. Photo Gallery
67 E. 4th St.
New York, NY 10003
212-673-1021
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