Joel Meyerowitz: A Sense of Wonder. Photographs 1962–2022
Organized by curator Denis Curti in collaboration with the Joel Meyerowitz Photography Archive in New York, this exhibition spans the American photographer’s extensive career through more than 90 works, from the 1960s to the present day.
For the first time in Italy, the self-portraits Meyerowitz created during the 2020 lockdown will be on view.
I believe photography is a path toward understanding one’s identity—both as an artist and a human being.
—Joel Meyerowitz
Brescia pays tribute to Joel Meyerowitz —one of the most influential figures in contemporary photography—with a comprehensive retrospective, the first true survey of his work ever held in Italy. Spanning six decades, it traces his creative evolution from the 1960s to today.
Entitled JOEL MEYEROWITZ. A Sense of Wonder. Photographs 1962–2022 and curated by Denis Curti, the exhibition will take place at the Santa Giulia Museum in Brescia from March 25 to August 24, 2025. Presented by the Fondazione Brescia Musei in collaboration with the Joel Meyerowitz Photography Archive, this initiative is the centerpiece of the 8th Brescia Photo Festival, promoted by the City of Brescia and Fondazione Brescia Musei in conjunction with Ma.Co.f – Centro della Fotografia Italiana.
The show features over 90 images, arranged in thematic sections, including many iconic works that helped redefine street photography. Meyerowitz’s groundbreaking use of color captured the complexity of modern life in a way few had done before.
Beginning in the 1960s, Meyerowitz emerged as one of New York’s most exciting avant-garde talents, working in parallel with such notable contemporaries as Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, and Diane Arbus. His photography stands apart for its distinctive sense of immersion—an almost total identification with the scenes he records. The hallmark of his approach can be summed up by the word “intimacy”: the desire to get as close as possible to his subjects, recognizing and embracing the unexpected.
His work in the United States during the Vietnam War era offers a unique perspective on American society in a time of great turmoil, using images to explore the intersection of individual identity, community, war, and peace. In the 1980s, Meyerowitz gradually shifted his focus from urban streetscapes to landscapes—most notably at Cape Cod on the Atlantic coast of Massachusetts. These photographs are marked by their spacious compositions and contemplative atmosphere. His evocative still lifes and his exclusive documentation of the World Trade Center site after the attacks of September 11, 2001, also form key parts of his oeuvre.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is a special section devoted to 365 self-portraits—shown in Italy for the first time—that Meyerowitz took daily during the 2020 lockdown. These recent works underscore how photography can serve as a tool for reflecting on personal and collective experiences, rediscovering the present in all its nuances.
A Skira catalog accompanies the exhibition.
About the Author
Born in the Bronx in 1938, Joel Meyerowitz has stood among the most influential figures in photography over the last half-century. Initially trained in art, art history, and medical illustration, he began his professional journey as an advertising art director in the early 1960s. A pivotal encounter with Robert Frank in 1962 convinced him to devote himself fully to photography, and he soon emerged—together with Garry Winogrand—as a leading voice in New York’s street photography scene. Recognized as a pioneer of color photography, Meyerowitz later expanded his practice to include portraiture and large-format landscapes. His first publication, Cape Light (1978), is regarded as a landmark of color photography and has sold more than 100,000 copies. A Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of both NEA and NEH grants, Meyerowitz has exhibited in over 350 museums and galleries around the world. After the events of September 11, he was the only photographer granted unrestricted access to Ground Zero, an experience that yielded a profound body of work and led to his participation as the United States representative at the 2002 Venice Architecture Biennale. Today, his photographs can be found in major collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, and numerous others worldwide. Meyerowitz divides his time between New York and Italy, where he continues to live and work.
JOEL MEYEROWITZ: A Sense of Wonder Photographs 1962–2022
March, 25, 2025 – August 24, 2025
Santa Giulia Museum – Brescia – Italy
More info:
https://www.bresciamusei.com/en
https://www.joelmeyerowitz.com/
