The Magic of the Street – Masterpieces of Street Photography

The exhibition The Magic of the Street at f³ – freiraum für fotografie presents some of the most important names in the history of photography. It shows iconic works of street photography by artists including Jane Evelyn Atwood, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliott Erwitt, Thomas Hoepker, William Klein, Steve McCurry, Joel Meyerowitz and Alexander Rodtschenko, alongside the work of a younger generation of photographers, among them Julia Baier, Jacob Aue Sobol, Fred Mortagne and Matt Stuart.

Street photography is one of the most exciting and dynamic genres of photography. It documents people’s lives in urban public spaces in an immediate and authentic way, revealing social change and cultural developments while preserving historical moments for future generations. Seen through the lens of outstanding photographers, an apparently ordinary moment becomes—through professional precision, unique subject matter, and a subjective visual language—a significant historical document that points far beyond the moment itself.

Street photography has its origins in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The invention of compact, lightweight cameras—most notably the LEICA 35 mm camera developed by Oskar Barnack—made it possible for photographers to leave the studio behind. The LEICA was the first camera to use 35 mm motion-picture film in a horizontal orientation, producing the now-standard 24 × 36 mm format. This technological innovation marked a revolution in photography: for the first time, photographers could capture everyday life spontaneously and directly, without the elaborate staging of lighting and poses.

Elliott Erwitt’s humorous photographs, in which dogs vie with their human companions for the starring role; Henri Cartier-Bresson’s early travel impressions; William Klein’s images of Paris during the student protests of 1968; Graciela Magnoni’s global project on women and girls; and Steve McCurry’s powerful photographs of India’s major cities: Through approximately one hundred photographs from the LEICA Archive, 45 photographers offer insight into the history of the medium from 1934 to 2023. The Magic of the Street features both world-famous images and surprising new discoveries.

The exhibition was curated by Karin Rehn-Kaufmann and Inas Fayed.

OPENING: Wed., September 16, 2026, 7–9 PM. Admission free!

Image: Felix, Gladys and Rover, New York, USA, 1974 © Elliott Erwitt. Magnum Photos / The Magic of the Street. Masterpieces of Street Photography from the Leica Archive.