Fred Stein's Street Photography Explored at Galerie Sonia Zannettaci

Galerie Sonia Zannettaci in Geneva presents an exhibition of Fred Stein's work from November 8, 2012, to January 19, 2013. Stein (1909-1967) is known for portraits of Einstein and Hannah Arendt, but this show focuses on his street photography. Fleeing Nazism for racial and political reasons, Stein captured the feeling of estrangement in Paris and New York. The exhibition features about eighty vintage prints from the Stein archive, hung in pairs—one New York image paired with one Paris image—highlighting parallels in attitudes, trades, and fatigue, and contrasts in architecture. The formalist eye is evident in lines of bridges, buildings, and staircases, but recurring themes like reading and sleeping also emerge. As a portraitist, Stein reveals his subjects' interiority; in the street, this manifests through framing that often hides the gaze, stimulating imagination while emphasizing urban anonymity. The exhibition was reviewed by David Michel Lemaire.