Exhibition William Klein: “Yes” – A retrospective

A brand new exhibition at the International Center of Photography celebrates the multifaceted career of visionary, NYC-born artist William Klein.

Klein is best known as a photographer, working predominantly within the genres of photojournalism, street, and fashion. He is renowned for his creative and subversive approach to the medium which influenced generations of practitioners, including, now-iconic Japanese photographer Daido Mōriyama. Yet Klein began his artistic journey as a painter, and throughout his career, experimented with various image-making techniques and mediums, while also producing numerous documentary and scripted films.

The first US exhibition dedicated solely to his work in over a generation is the culmination of a decade of work for ICP’s Curator-at-Large David Campany. He has worked alongside Klein to consolidate the various diverse strands of his practice into a landmark retrospective of over 300 photographs, paintings, films, and more.

“For a long time, Klein was known as either a fashion photographer or a street photographer or a filmmaker, as different audiences knew and valued different aspects of his work. Only in recent years has the scope of his achievements begun to be recognized,” says Campany. “Versatility runs against the idea that artistic significance is based on single themes and recurring preoccupations. But artists like Klein, who ranged freely and avoided specialism, are key to understanding the culture of the last century.”

Notable works on view include Klein’s photographic surveys of New York, Rome, Paris, Moscow, and Tokyo; some of the most iconic and creative imagery from his fashion oeuvre, and excerpts of both scripted and documentary films, including his critically-acclaimed portrayal of Muhammad Ali.

The exhibition runs until September 12, 2022, alongside a diverse public program that includes film screenings, panel discussions, and curator’s tours. An accompanying book written by the curator will be published by Thames & Hudson, at a later date.