"Gargoyles of Gotham" Photograph by Don Hamerman

Artist's Statement
The Chrysler Building, architect William Van Alen’s 1930 art deco masterpiece was, for eleven months, the world’s tallest building, before being surpassed by the Empire State. Commissioned by Walter Chrysler as a real estate investment for his children, this iconic midtown NYC structure was awarded national landmark status in 1976.

In 1981, while working on a magazine story about the “Gargoyles of Gotham,” I walked over to the Chrysler Building from my NYC apartment to photograph its gargoyles on the 60th floor. I’d been invited to appear after hours by a building superintendent, whom I paid with a 6 pack of beer, maybe two. He brought me to the 58th floor, where I climbed out onto a two story scaffolding lashed to the building on a setback. At the top of the stairs, tucked up under the eagle, itself designed to look like a Chrysler auto hood ornament, I captured this unique view.

About the Artist
Don Hamerman has been making photographs since 1976. His images reside in corporate and private collections across the country, and museums including The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. His work has appeared in books, magazines and newspapers worldwide, from the Village Voice to Rolling Stone to The New York Times, New York Magazine, Fortune, Forbes and Architectural Digest, among many others.

Information
"Gargoyles of Gotham"
Photograph by Don Hamerman
Black and white archival pigment print on acid-free paper. Signed, titled, numbered, and dated by the artist on the verso.

Image Sizes & Editions
16” x 24” - Edition of 25
24” x 36” - Edition of 15 (shown)
36” x 54” - Edition of 8