• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Shopping
  • Design Hunting
  • New York Weddings
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • Motherhood
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Science of Us
  • Horoscopes
  • Ask Polly
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • The Cut Shop
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
gallery
June 29, 2018

Modern City Life, Captured on Camera

By Sarah Nechamkin

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin It
Millie with the Cheeseburger Radio at Home, New York City, by Nan Goldin, 1980. Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art; Los Angeles

Private moments in the public sphere are the focus of the Los Angeles exhibit “Real Worlds: Brassaï, Arbus, Goldin,” which features work by three seminal photographers who captured 20th-century urban life. From 1930s Paris to 1980s New York, the exhibit features vignettes of city dwellers sitting nose-to-nose at mirrored cafés, staring coolly at the camera from park benches, and cackling over cigarettes and cake at a waterside picnic.

In the 1970s and ’80s, Nan Goldin captured the queer community during the height of the AIDS epidemic; high-contrast lighting and saturated colors infused drama into her intimate portraits, as seen in Millie With the Cheeseburger Radio at Home, New York City (pictured above). In the 1930s, Brassaï’s black-and-white photography embodied the joie de vivre of pre-war Parisian nightlife. His candid shots of partygoers and prostitutes are powerfully juxtaposed with 1960s photos by Diane Arbus, including her iconic portraits of park passers-by and social outcasts. With their humanist focus on the overlooked romance of everyday life, all three photographers tell a story of the rush and resilience of the urban experience.

“Real Worlds: Brassaï, Arbus, Goldin” is on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles until September 3.

View
1 / 8 Photos
A Young Man and His Pregnant Wife in Washington
Square Park, by Diane Arbus, 1965. Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art; Los Angeles
“Variety” Booth, New York City, by Nan Goldin, 1983. Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art; Los Angeles
Picnic on the Esplanade, Boston, by Nan Goldin, 1973. Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art; Los Angeles
Millie with the Cheeseburger Radio at Home, New York City, by Nan Goldin, 1980. Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art; Los Angeles
The Hug, New York City, by Nan Goldin, 1980. Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art; Los Angeles
Lovers, Place d’Italie, by Brassaï, c.1932. Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art; Los Angeles
Young Couple Wearing a Two-in-One suit at the Bal de la Montagne Sainte-Genevieve, by Brassaï, c. 1931. Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary... Young Couple Wearing a Two-in-One suit at the Bal de la Montagne Sainte-Genevieve, by Brassaï, c. 1931. Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art; Los Angeles
Streetwalker Near the Place d'Italie, by Brassaï, c.1932. Photo: Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art; Los Angeles
1 / 8

Tags:

  • image gallery
  • gallery
  • culture
  • art
  • photography
  • nan goldin
  • diane arbus
  • brassai
  • More

More Galleries

in memoriam Dec. 30, 2020
30 Incredible Fashion Moments From Pierre Cardin  Remembering a creative visionary. 
By Andrew Nguyen
rest in power Dec. 23, 2020
A Photo Memorial for an Iconic Model  She passed away suddenly at the age of 50 this week. 
campaign trail Nov. 18, 2020
‘Tis the Season for New Fashion Ads  See the best ones from Gucci, Prada, Versace, and more. 
By Emily Burns
nyfw spring 2021 Oct. 26, 2020
How a Great Collection Comes Alive  Christopher John Rogers launched its first-ever online shop, along with a new campaign. 
By Andrew Nguyen
campaign trail Sept. 24, 2020
See the Fashion Campaigns for Fall 2020  From Prada, Michael Kors, Celine, Louis Vuitton, and more. 
By Andrew Nguyen
nyfw spring 2021 Sept. 22, 2020
See the Coach Spring 2021 Collection  Worn by Megan Thee Stallion, Kate Moss, Cole Sprouse, and more. 
By Andrew Nguyen
fashion Sept. 16, 2020
The Stunning Awkwardness of Face Masks on the Red Carpet  Celebrities tried to make the best of a strange situation at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. 
one word one shot Sept. 15, 2020
72 Designers on Their Spring/Summer Inspirations  Just in time for Fashion Week. 
By the Cut
red carpet Sept. 8, 2020
This Red Carpet Was Totally Surreal  But also amazing. See all the looks at the Venice Film Festival. 
By Emilia Petrarca and Andrew Nguyen
in memoriam Aug. 31, 2020
Remembering Chadwick Boseman on the Red Carpet  His style was bold, risk-taking, and always impeccable. 
the wedding files Aug. 21, 2020
The Design-Minded Couple Who Didn’t Want to Try Too Hard  The bride got a wonderful surprise the morning of her wedding. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files Aug. 14, 2020
A Costa Rica Wedding During the Rainy Season  Thunder roared during the toasts. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files Aug. 7, 2020
A San Francisco Wedding at a Big, Empty Pier  The bride changed into crushed-velvet pants for the disco-infused reception. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 31, 2020
An Elopement Among the Lupines in Iceland  The late afternoon was spent snapping photos near waterfalls and black beaches. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 24, 2020
A Pennsylvania Potluck for 280 People  “I looked at her for the first time and had this feeling like, You. I know you.” 
By Kaitlin Menza
milan fashion week July 22, 2020
Behind the Scenes at Gucci’s Virtual Show  Instead of models, members of the design team sported the eccentric collection. 
By Andrew Nguyen
the wedding files July 17, 2020
A Dance Party Under Puerto Rican Palm Trees  Bad Bunny blasted and pitorro flowed. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 10, 2020
A Zoom Wedding Only Two Digital Creatives Could Produce  The couple coordinated multiple video segments, breakout rooms, and a dance party. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files July 3, 2020
The Anti-Spectacle Wedding That Turned Into a Spectacle  Brooklyn Bridge Park was the site of their first date, proposal, and wedding. 
By Kaitlin Menza
the wedding files June 26, 2020
A Night at the Philadelphia Museum of Art  The flowers were specially treated to protect the masterpieces. 
By Kaitlin Menza
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Help
  • We’re Hiring
  • Press
  • Trademark
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell My Info
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2021 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.