David Freund's Gas Station Photos from 47 States Go Online at Joseph Bellows Gallery

The Joseph Bellows Gallery is showcasing an online exhibition of David Freund's 'Gas Stop' series, which includes 11x14-inch gelatin silver prints taken from 1978 to 1981 across 47 states. These black-and-white photographs depict gas stations as intersections of architecture, commerce, and everyday life. This project emerged in the wake of the 1970s oil crisis, highlighting a period when fuel shortages and increased prices transformed mobility. Freund employed a handheld 35mm camera to create images with compositional precision similar to large-format photography, organizing them with horizontal bands of land and sky. The series continues to resonate today as gas stations reflect ongoing economic and cultural changes.