fbpx
Exhibition

Louis Stettner

Traveling Light
October 27, 2018–June 16, 2019
Floor 3

Over the course of his eight-decade career, Louis Stettner created a singular approach to photographing everyday life. Born in Brooklyn in 1922, Stettner began working as a photographer in the 1930s and served in the U.S. Army in World War II before moving to Paris in 1947. There, he studied at the Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques, became friends with the influential photographer Brassaï (whose work will be on view on Floor 3 from November 17, 2018–February 18, 2019), and developed a unique point of view that melded the boldness of American street photography with the softer humanism more characteristic of his Paris contemporaries. For the rest of his life, he traveled between New York and Paris — his “two loves,” as he called them — constantly finding new inspiration in that geographical duality. From thoughtful images of rush-hour commuters to tranquil observations of daily routines, this thematic retrospective displays the remarkable breadth of Stettner’s work.


Exhibition Preview

black and white photograph of lake with several row boats
A man sitting on a bench with both of his arms behind it in front of manhattan skyline
woman sitting in train station with eyes closed and a white glove

Louis Stettner, Lake, New York State, 1952; courtesy Janet Stettner; © Estate of Louis Stettner, all rights reserved

Louis Stettner, Brooklyn Promenade, Brooklyn, 1954; courtesy Janet Stettner; © Estate of Louis Stettner, all rights reserved

Louis Stettner, Woman with White Glove, Penn Station, 1958; courtesy Janet Stettner; © Estate of Louis Stettner, all rights reserved


Exhibition Catalogue

This beautiful volume presents iconic photographs from the entirety of Stettner’s career, along with 19 essays about photography written by Stettner himself.
Read More


Major support for Louis Stettner: Traveling Light is provided by Randi and Bob Fisher, Rusty O’Kelley and John Haskins, and Champagne Louis Roederer.

Generous support is provided by Sarah Wigglesworth and Asiff Hirji.

Additional support is provided by The Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Arts Foundation.

Header image: Louis Stettner, Lake, New York State, 1952; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, purchase through a gift of Randi and Bob Fisher, Rusty O’Kelley and John Haskins, Champagne Louis Roederer, Sarah Wigglesworth and Asiff Hirji, The Sondra and Charles Gilman, Jr. Foundation, and the Accessions Committee Fund; © Estate of Louis Stettner, all rights reserved