Art Review: Helen Levitt Photography Retrospective

I’m in Paris now, but for a week I was among the few Americans in London. That said, totems of America were plentiful. I saw two very good exhibitions on American artists. I wrote about the Helen Frankenthaler woodcut show at the Dulwich Picture Gallery earlier this week. Today I’ll write about the Helen Levitt retrospective at the Photographers’ Gallery, In the Street, recognizing Levitt (1913–2009) as one of America’s earliest street photographers.

I liked the exhibition. Levitt is probably the best least-known photographer of her era and one of the few social-realist artists who wasn’t a weepy, obvious bore. Far from it. The Photographers’ Gallery in Soho is London’s pioneer art space for photography. Its 50th anniversary was last year. The gallery started showing photography when it was a marginalized medium in the U.K., and it often highlights American artists. In the Street is part of its celebration of itself, and it deserves it. There’s always something good to see there.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

I’m in Paris now, but for a week I was among the few Americans in London. That said, totems of America were plentiful. I saw two very good exhibitions on American artists. I wrote about the Helen Frankenthaler woodcut show at the Dulwich Picture Gallery earlier this week. Today I’ll write about the Helen Levitt retrospective at the Photographers’ Gallery, In the Street, recognizing Levitt (1913–2009) as one of America’s earliest street photographers.

I liked the exhibition. Levitt is probably the best least-known photographer of her era and one of the few social-realist artists who wasn’t a weepy, obvious bore. Far from it. The Photographers’ Gallery in Soho is London’s pioneer art space for photography. Its 50th anniversary was last year. The gallery started showing photography when it was a marginalized medium in the U.K., and it often highlights American artists. In the Street is part of its celebration of itself, and it deserves it. There’s always something good to see there.