Leonard Freed exhibition, Berlin

Photography is an elusive art. What separates the merely good from the truly exceptional is a nebulous and subjective cocktail of technical mastery, an eye for aesthetics, and the capacity, perhaps, to turn the everyday into something exquisite.
Click here to see more of Freed's photography.
Worldview, a Berlin retrospective of work by the late Brooklyn-born Magnum photographer Leonard Freed, showcases life through the lens of a man who eschewed showmanship and glamour for quiet insight and poignant social commentary.
His black and white images won’t hit you in the face; the scenes can feel ostensibly mundane and the characters are anonymous. Rather, his is an art of careful observation and meticulous composition – a studied snapshot of life, at once familiar, beautiful and ultimately revealing.
As a photojournalist, Freed’s pictures examined disparate social contexts – from the plight of disadvantaged African Americans to the lifestyle of Hasidic Jews, to studies of German citizenry following the Second World War and behind-the-scenes coverage of the troubled New York City police force during the turbulent 1970s. His voice was his work – that 'visual language' – his camera, in the end, as much a practical tool as an instrument of art.
ADDRESS
Postfuhramt
Oranienburger Straße
Tucholskystraße
10117 Berlin
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Harriet Lloyd-Smith was the Arts Editor of Wallpaper*, responsible for the art pages across digital and print, including profiles, exhibition reviews, and contemporary art collaborations. She started at Wallpaper* in 2017 and has written for leading contemporary art publications, auction houses and arts charities, and lectured on review writing and art journalism. When she’s not writing about art, she’s making her own.
-
Pierre Yovanovitch opens a home in New York
The Pierre Yovanovitch New York gallery is a 10,000-square-foot space within a penthouse in Chelsea, bringing a taste of Paris to the city
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Low-energy house in Catalonia minimises its footprint to make the most of its site
Alventosa Morell Arquitectes’ low-energy house in Catalonia nestles into the landscape
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Wallpaper* gift guide: shopping with design editor Rosa Bertoli
For serious design objects with a whimsical twist, delve into this playful gift guide
By Rosa Bertoli Published