Pete Solis, Albuquerque, ’57 Chevy
Artist
Meridel Rubenstein
(American, born 1948)
Date1980
MediumChromogenic print
DimensionsImage: 6 3/4 × 9 1/2 in. (17.1 × 24.1 cm)
Support: 14 1/8 × 17 in. (35.9 × 43.2 cm)
Support: 14 1/8 × 17 in. (35.9 × 43.2 cm)
ClassificationsPhotograph
Credit LineGift of Harvey Mudd
Object number2020.13.8
DescriptionFrom the portfolio “The Lowriders: Portraits from New Mexico.” Interior of a house’s garage with rear view of a black 1957 Chevy at left. At right with his right arm on the car is man with dark hair and moustache wearing a black open-necked shirt with a shiny round medallion around his neck and black, flared pants. He is wearing a long, white open cardigan decorated with a dark blue stripe flanked top and bottom by lighter blue bands, which is repeated on the sleeves with a smaller band of blue toward cuffs.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.
On View
Not on view
