STEPHEN MALLON – THE S.S. UNITED STATES
2016-08-15Still holding the record that it set in 1952 for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic (fewer than 4 days from New York to La Havre, France), the USS United States now sits forlornly in a dock in Philadelphia waiting. The Front Room Gallery is proud to present “47 Years in Waiting” Stephen Mallon’s 5th solo exhibition at The Front Room. Mallon’s extraordinarily soulful portrait of the great ship combines sweeping views of the rusty hull with intimate interior shots of the walkways and grand ballrooms.
The largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the United States, The S.S. United States was built in a time of transition. In 1952 intercontinental travel involved long boat trips with steamer trunks and lavish splendor. But, in 1958 commercial jet liners were introduced, and a decade and a half later people were flying across the ocean in a few hours. The spectacular ship had become obsolete. It was docked in 1969 and hasn’t sailed again (yet). In her heyday she carried stars: Judy Garland, Charlton Heston, Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Sean Connery Salvador Dali, and Elizabeth Taylor. Other passengers were royalty (Prince Rainier, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Grace Kelly) and four US presidents (Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F Kennedy and Bill Clinton). The S.S. United States was a star in her own right: 70,000 people showed up to see her launch on her maiden voyage. The ship’s 23 public rooms, 395 staterooms, and 14 first-class suites were the height of luxury, in a time when that word was not so over-used. Stephen Mallon’s photographs examine the current state of the vessel, stripped of her finery, in decay yet still elegant.
Opposite – The S.S. United States
Exhibition runs through to October 9th, 2016
The Front Room
147 Roebling St
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
New York
NY
