Helen Levitt is one of the 20th century’s foremost photographers and a pioneer of the “street photography” movement. Urban Lyrics presents an extensive photographic retrospective of Helen Levitt‘s oeuvre. The exhibition consists of over 120 photographs, the majority of which are vintage prints.

Helen Levitt’s photographs are instantaneous and poetic meditations on daily life, images that we can identify with even today.

To categorize an image as a “street photograph,” one must look at the choice of setting. In the images we see a public space, it can be a group of people on the street, a couple at a coffeehouse or a lone man on a bench. We observe a moment frozen in time. We wonder who is depicted in the photograph and what has happened before and after the click of the shutter.
Wandering through the city is a key element in the process. It is during these walks that the photographer is able to explore the details, movements, and emotions that are present in the environment.

The difference between a documentary photographer and a street photographer is subtle. A documentary photographer often has an underlying goal, namely to depict something, while the street-photographer is a spontaneous observer who captures a moment during their excursion.

Size: 19.69"W 27.56"H (50x70 cm)

Printed on 170g FSC-certified paper.