The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 9, 2023

Brooklyn Gang

Untitled (41634)

1959

Bruce Davidson

(American, b. 1933)

America, 20th century

Gelatin silver print on resin-coated paper

Paper: 40.6 x 50.8 cm (16 x 20 in.)

Gift of an anonymous donor 2018.748

© Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

One of Davidson’s best-known series, <em>Brooklyn Gang</em> was inspired by a news story about a teenage gang called the Jokers.

Description

The gang member making out in the back seat of a car on the way home from Coney Island is Lefty, identifiable by his tattoo. “We always wondered why the girls liked him,” recalled Jokers member Bob Powers. “We never thought he was good-looking, but all the girls loved him. It was amazing.”

Citations
Tannenbaum, Barbara. “Bruce Davidson: The great American photographer’s series on Brooklyn street gangs taps themes of belonging and identity.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 60, no. 4 (Fall 2020): 6-7. Reproduced: P. 7; Mentioned: P. 6-7.
Exhibition history

Bruce Davidson: Brooklyn Gang. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 25, 2020-June 13, 2021).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.748