Charlie Villareal, Española, ’65 Chevy Impala
Artist
Meridel Rubenstein
(American, born 1948)
Date1980
MediumChromogenic print
DimensionsImage: 6 11/16 × 9 1/2 in. (16.9 × 24.1 cm)
Support: 14 1/8 × 17 1/8 in. (35.9 × 43.5 cm)
Support: 14 1/8 × 17 1/8 in. (35.9 × 43.5 cm)
ClassificationsPhotograph
Credit LineGift of Harvey Mudd
Object number2020.13.1
DescriptionFrom the portfolio “The Lowriders: Portraits from New Mexico.” Horizontal picture of strip mall shopping area, including a TG&Y store, with large parking lot. In foreground is a white, 1965 Impala car that is elaborately decorated with red, blue, and black paint. Leaning against the rear driver’s side of car, with left leg on the ground and right leg bent, at back is a smiling man with dark hair and moustache wearing a white, long-sleeved top and black pants and shoes.eMuseum Notes
Rubenstein was fairly new to New Mexico when a patron challenged her to include portraits of lowriders in her series celebrating the craftspeople of the state. At the time this picture was taken, many people saw lowriders and their clubs in a negative light and some cities banned the cars. Though initially hesitant to make contact with lowriders, Rubenstein quickly found common ground with them as fellow artists. Her resulting series of portraits and a 1980 exhibition of them, held on the Santa Fe Plaza, brought lowriders and their passion for customizing cars to a broader public and contributed to a slow shift in attitude toward appreciation and civic pride.
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