Time travel

Unseen: London, Paris, New York, 1930s–60s. Up until August 29, the Ben Uri Gallery in London is presenting an exhibition of historic photographs of these western cities. While digitalization, advertising and the distribution of the media are making modern-day London, Paris and New York appear increasingly similar, the exhibition takes the viewer to a time when the cities were less linked together. The Unseen group exhibition includes photographs by Neil Libbert (New York in the 1960), Wolfgang Suschitzky (London in the 30s and 40s) and Dorothy Bohm (Paris in the 40s and 50s).

Leica photographer Neil Libbert (*1938) began his career as a photo reporter in London in 1961, working for, among others, The Observer, The Sunday Times and The New York Times. Even so, the photos shown at the Unseen exhibition concentrate on New York. They were taken in the early sixties and, as the exhibition title suggest, have received little exposure to date.

Wolfgang Suschitzky (*1912) fled the Nazis to London in 1935. During the war years, the trained photographer worked as a camera assistant for the documentary film maker and producer Paul Rotha. Suschitzky’s London photos taken before and during the war focus mainly on the city’s poorer population.

Dorothy Bohm (*1924) finished her training as a photographer in Manchester during the Second World War. She visited Paris for the first time in 1947. Delighted with the French capital, she concentrated on taking pictures that reveal the contrast between the beauty of the city and the poverty of the post-war years. Her photographs have also only rarely been presented publicly.

Further information at: www.benuri.org.uk.