An Evolution of Street Photography Featuring the Genre’s Biggest Names

By Alison Nastasi

April 17, 2012

We’re big fans of street photography around here, which is why we’re excited that The National Gallery will be presenting a related exhibition featuring images from some of the genre’s biggest names. Walker Evans, Harry Callahan, and Bruce Davidson are just a few of the artists who will be featured in I Spy: Photography and the Theater of the Street, 1938–2010. The National Gallery was kind enough to preview some of the work featured in the show with us, which you’ll be able to see in person when the exhibit opens on April 22 (running through August 5). Past the break, we’ve shared several of Evans’ subway photos, which prove that the dour expression commuters often wear has been around since the 1930s. Callahan’s extreme close-ups of people out and about capture a curious sense of urban malaise, and Davidson’s cast of characters is highly entertaining. Click through for a closer look, and visit the National Gallery’s website for more information.

Walker Evans, Subway Portraits, 1938-1941, National Gallery of Art, Washington, John Wilmerding Fund

Walker Evans, Subway Portrait, 1938, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kent and Marcia Minichiello © Walker Evans Archive, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Walker Evans, Subway Portrait, 1941, National Gallery of Art, Washington, John Wilmerding Fund © Walker Evans Archive, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Walker Evans, Subway Portraits, 1938-1941, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Lunn, Jr. in honor of Jacob Kainen and in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art © Walker Evans Archive, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Walker Evans, Subway Portraits, 1938-1941, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kent and Marcia Minichiello © Walker Evans Archive, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Harry Callahan, Chicago, 1950, Collection of Randi and Bob Fisher © The Estate of Harry Callahan courtesy Pace/MacGill Gallery, New York