The Idealist: In My Eyes 25 Years

“The Idealist is a retrospective collection of Friedman’s aesthetics, [featuring] some of the images for which he is justly acclaimed and many others that will be new to his fans, ranging from DogTown skateboarders, and hard-core heroes to hip-hop icons, cityscapes to portraits, public intellectuals to historical monuments.” —BOMB

The Idealist showcases the photography of Glen E. Friedman, who the Washington Post calls, “One of the greats of his generation.” The Idealist is the work of a true visionary, effortlessly mixing landscapes, still life, and documentary photography in an exploration of his own innate idealism. The images are enhanced with original comments from some of the most progressive and politically controversial thinkers of our time—Ralph Nader, Reverend Al Sharpton, Ian MacKaye, Cornel West, and Ian F. Svenonius.

This collection of photographs from 25 years (1976–2001) of Friedman’s work concentrates on his visual aesthetic and is the public introduction to his striking fine-art photography. Though he continues a heavy focus on both imagery and message, only a few of his traditional photographs of legendary people in the hip-hop, punk, and skate communities will be recognized. The Idealist traces Friedman’s development as a fine artist as his subject matter includes a breathtaking international scope of landscapes, still life, and documentary, highlighting his capacity to capture essential moments of most anything he sets his eyes on, to help us open ours.