Helen Levitt retrospective at Fotomuseum Winterthur

Fotomuseum Winterthur has given Helen Levitt (1913–2009) a broad retrospective. The German title, Die Strasse als Bühne, means 'the street as a stage'. The museum places her among the defining voices of American photography in the twentieth century. The show is now open and runs until 31 January 2027.

A first look into the archive

What sets this retrospective apart is its source material. According to the listing, this is the first exhibition to show works from Levitt's archive, which has only recently been opened to the public. Retrospectives of well-known photographers tend to return to the same familiar prints. An archive that has just been opened offers something else: pictures that have rarely or never been shown, and with them the chance to see how a body of work was built up behind the images we already know.

The title itself points to how the curators read her work. In their account the street is not a backdrop but a stage, a place where ordinary people act out small scenes, often without knowing anyone is watching.

Why collectors should take note

For photobook collectors, Levitt's reputation has long rested on her books as much as on her prints. Titles such as A Way of Seeing and Crosstown are where many readers first met her pictures, and where her sequencing can be seen at length. An exhibition built on newly opened archive material may well change how those books are read. Collectors will want to see which of the pictures on the walls also appear in the books, and which are entirely new.

Large retrospectives also tend to bring renewed attention to an artist's earlier publications. This one comes with the added interest of a first public look at the archive.

Practical details

The exhibition is at Fotomuseum Winterthur, Grüzenstrasse 44+45, in Winterthur, Switzerland. It closes on 31 January 2027. Visitors who come before 6 December 2026 can also see Andri Pol – Poliversum, a retrospective of the Swiss photojournalist at the Fotostiftung Schweiz on the same street.

Sources

• Geplante Ausstellungen - fotoagenda, fotointern.ch
• Aktuelle Ausstellungen - fotointern.ch – Tagesaktuelle Fotonews, fotointern.ch