Artists

Helen Levitt

Press release

OPENING: Thursday, 6 February, 4 – 7 PM

Zander Galerie is delighted to announce its next exhibition in Paris showcasing the work of New York artist Helen Levitt. From February 6 to March 29, 2025, the gallery will present an exceptional selection of photographs from the 1970s, drawn from the iconic Subway series.

Helen Levitt (1913-2009) began photographing street scenes in her native city of New York in the late 1930s and became one of the most significant figures in American street photography. She captured her era with a sensitive and poetic eye, focusing on the scenes of everyday life played out on the streets of New York. Beginning in the 1930s, equipped with her 35 mm Leica camera, she roamed the city, documenting children at play, sidewalk conversations, and vibrant street scenes. Strolling through working-class neighborhoods, she cast a tender and joyful gaze on the life unfolding there, while never interfering and maintaining a respectful distance. Helen Levitt captured the soul of the city with a masterful sense of composition and a humanistic approach. Alongside Walker Evans and Henri Cartier-Bresson, both of whom she considered as close companions, Helen Levitt is regarded as one of the most important American photographers of her time.