The inaugural installation at Aperture’s new space, titled Aperture Loves New York, opened to pay tribute to photographers who have shaped and been shaped by the city, running through November 1, 2026. Organized by Executive Director Sarah Meister, the presentation brings together photographs by more than twenty past and present artists alongside corresponding Aperture books that have advanced the medium.
Photographers and Books Capturing the Spirit of New York
The exhibition showcases artists anchored in Aperture’s publishing history, capturing the complex spirit of New York through works ranging from historical documentation to contemporary editorial commissions. Among the featured artists are Diane Arbus, Awol Erizku, Robert Frank, Justine Kurland, Stephen Shore, Tina Barney, Ernest Cole, Nan Goldin, Danny Lyon, Sophie Rivera, and Coreen Simpson.
Tina Barney’s 1980s large-scale color photographs turn privilege and social choreography into subjects, capturing formal gatherings where gazes slide away and seating arrangements feel tense. Ernest Cole’s mid-1960s street scenes capture Harlem in fast, lived-in motion following his flight from South Africa.
Robert Frank is represented by a mid-1950s Lower East Side street scene that reflects the restless, off-kilter style of his landmark book The Americans. Nan Goldin’s 1979 photograph Trixie on the cot documents hardscrabble downtown life from within a chosen family, a visual approach that later defined her book The Ballad of Sexual Dependency.
Justine Kurland’s 1998 photograph Playground depicts teenage girls clustered around swings, an image featured in her book Girl Pictures. Danny Lyon’s 1967 documentation of Lower Manhattan captures streetscapes being emptied out for civic projects like the original World Trade Center. Sophie Rivera’s circa-1978 portrait of a server turns everyday Nuyorican labor into a direct encounter, while Coreen Simpson’s 1980 photograph of Double Dutch champions at Lincoln Center highlights early hip-hop era style and street culture.
Did You Know? The installation features photographs by more than twenty artists spanning past and present, pairing their visual works directly with the Aperture books that advanced the medium of photography.
Context and Significance of the Aperture Gallery Exhibition
The exhibition uses its new space to examine how photographers captured New York’s shifting social hierarchies, architectural transformations, and cultural movements over decades of urban change. By placing vintage prints side by side with published volumes, the presentation shows how photobooks shaped the history of documentary and fine art photography.
View Aperture Loves New York Through November 2026
Aperture Loves New York remains on view at Aperture through November 1, 2026. Visitors can view the works of more than twenty artists, alongside the corresponding Aperture books that documented the medium’s evolution.
Find Details About the Aperture Loves New York Exhibition
Who organized the inaugural installation at Aperture’s new space? The installation was organized by Sarah Meister, Executive Director.
Which artists are featured in Aperture Loves New York? The exhibition features photographs by more than twenty artists, including Diane Arbus, Awol Erizku, Robert Frank, Justine Kurland, Stephen Shore, Tina Barney, Ernest Cole, Nan Goldin, Danny Lyon, Sophie Rivera, and Coreen Simpson.
When does the exhibition close? Aperture Loves New York is on view at Aperture through November 1, 2026.
Which photographers captured New York street scenes in the 1950s and 1960s for the exhibition? Robert Frank captured New York street life between 1955 and 1965, Ernest Cole photographed Harlem around 1968, and Danny Lyon documented Lower Manhattan in 1967.
What publication is Justine Kurland’s photograph Playground drawn from? Playground appears in Girl Pictures, published by Aperture in 2020.
What is the closing date for the exhibition currently on view at Aperture’s new space?
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