Helen Levitt: New York, 1939

Shamoon Zamir is Professor of Literature and Art History at New York University Abu Dhabi. Helen Levitt (American, 1913-2009) began photographing on the streets of New York City in the late 1930s. With a particular attentiveness to the authenticity and imagination of children, her lyrical work in black-and-white-and later colour-captures private dramas as they unfold in public places. Levitt received fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, and her work is in the collections of leading museums worldwide.