Hungarian Debutante Ball, New York City

1977

Hungarian Debutante Ball, New York City, 1977. Larry Fink (American, b. 1941). Gelatin silver print; image: 34.5 x 25.4 cm (13 9/16 x 10 in.); paper: 35.3 x 27.8 cm (13 7/8 x 10 15/16 in.); matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Dorothy and Eugene Prakapas 1988.183 There are two parts to Larry Fink’s Social Graces series: images like this of people attending elite social events in New York City and pictures of celebrations held by the Sabatine family, the artist’s working-class neighbors in rural Pennsylvania. Here, the juxtaposition of guests with the server, who tries to bow out of the picture, is a reminder of the laborers whose efforts make black-tie events possible. Larry Fink likes to catch people unaware, but one person here noticed him as he clicked the shutter.