Stephen Shore at Edwynn Houk Gallery

2nd St. East & South Main St., Kalispell, Montana, August 22, 1974 by Stephen Shore

For about a year, my top Amazon recommendation - based on my wishlist - has been Stephen Shore's Uncommon Places: The Complete Works. If Amazon's computations are correct, then I should also love the current show of Shore's vintage prints currently at Edwynn Houk. And I probably will. I mention the vintage prints specifically, because the prototypical 70s quality to the color is a critical ingredient to the nostalgic feel of these photos, something that's missing from modern prints. "Uncommon Places" was created in a series of road trips across America and Shore's images are powerfully nostalgic for me as I was just a kid in the 70s, also making many trips across the West in my parents' stationwagon. The image above, though taken in Montana, reminds me of Lovelock, Nevada, the small town where my mother's parents lived, particuarly my remembered mind-picture of its whithering downtown.

If we want to talk about envy, Shore was the first living photographer to show at the Met - when he was 24 - and sold pictures to MoMA at 14. Completely unrelated, but there was a great interview with Shore in Blind Spot a couple of issues back.

Through April 16 at Edwynn Houk Gallery
745 5th Ave
(212) 750-7070