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Bruce Gilden's exhibition is called "Why These?", and it's a question worth asking. How do these 41 photographs represent the legendary street photographer's 50-plus-year career?

"Why These?" points to both the images he selected and the people within them, often on the margins of society. It traces his aesthetic evolution and pays tribute to outsiders and strong personalities.

On view until 23 August, the selection brings together works from his first photographic essay in Coney Island that started in 1969, the intensity of his New York street photography in the 1980s, long-term projects in Haiti and Japan, and his later shift to digital color after 2013.

Charlotte, Louisville,KY, 2022
@magnumphotos @bresciamusei @fotografiska.berlin

Myrtle Beach, SC, USA, 2022
@dewi_lewis_publishing @magnumphotos

There’s a rawness to Bruce Gilden’s street photography that comes from someone not afraid of the streets. His subjects stare straight into the lens, both sides unafraid. He shows us people and situations we usually pass in a blink.

Don’t just take our word for it, see “Why These?” until 23 August.

Lost & Found, New York City, 1981

Bruce Gilden’s work is unmistakable: close-up faces, sometimes waist-up, always with flash. The eyes stare right at you, intense and direct.

Years of taking portraits on the streets have trained his eye. He reads the shape of the face, the depth of the eyes, and can tell by just looking at someone whether he can take a strong portrait of them.

For his exhibition “Why These?”, he handpicked iconic black-and-white images from his early career, taken in Coney Island, Haiti, New York, and Tokyo, alongside large-scale portraits marking his shift into digital color in 2013.

On view until 23 August.

Happy Mother’s Day!
Jackson, Mississippi State Fair 2013

Pillole di Bruce Gilden pt2📸

🗣️ Tutte le domeniche alle ore 11:00 è possibile usufruire delle visite guidate alla mostra.
Nelle giornate del 07 maggio e del 04 giugno 2026, alle ore 16:30, si terranno invece le visite guidate accompagnate dal curatore.

Maggiori informazioni sul sito.
👁️ Bruce Gilden. A Closer Look
📍Museo di Santa Giulia
🗓️27 marzo - 28 agosto 2026
😇Grace/Grazia. Bruce Gilden per Raffaello
📍Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo
🗓️27 marzo - 12 luglio 2026
👤 a cura di @denis_curti

My show “Why These?”opens at Fotografiska Berlin April 25 to August 23
@fotografiska.berlin @donaldschneiderstudio

Scopri la mostra Bruce Gilden. A Closer Look nel Museo di Santa Giulia di Brescia fino al 23 agosto 2026 e non perdere l’installazione Grace / Grazia. Bruce Gilden per Raffaello allestita in Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo fino al 12 luglio 2026.

Un'occasione imperdibile per entrare nell'universo creativo del grande fotografo americano!

Video di @delu93

Pillole di Bruce Gilden 📷

Vieni a visitare la mostra "Bruce Gilden. A Closer Look" al Museo di Santa Giulia e il progetto site specific "Grace / Grazia. Bruce Gilden per Raffaello" in Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo!

Per l’occasione, @bruce_gilden (Magnum Photos), ci ha rilasciato qualche piccolo segreto della sua arte.

📍 Museo di Santa Giulia | Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo
🗓️ Dal 27 marzo 2026
👤 a cura di @denis_curti

“A good street picture will smell of the street.” – Bruce Gilden

Bruce Gilden’s photography confronts you. A flash. A stare. A face you can’t forget. He captures outsiders, misfits, and the overlooked, showing them raw and real. Gang members, homeless people, sex workers, and others on society’s edges often trust him to be photographed. Like him, they have “experienced the streets,” and his Brooklyn upbringing gives him a rare ability to connect deeply with the people he portrays.

“Why These?” presents 41 photographs selected by the photographer himself, tracing some of his major projects in Coney Island, Haiti, New York, and Tokyo, and his bold shift to digital color in 2013.

Join us on 24 April for the exhibition opening and hear Bruce Gilden in conversation with Creative Director Donald Schneider about the provocative power of his work. Secure your spot via the link in bio.

This exhibition is curated by Jessica Jarl (Global Director of Exhibitions at Fotografiska) and co-curated by Marie-Luise Mayer (Exhibitions Manager at Fotografiska Berlin) in close collaboration with the artist.

Image credits:
(1) Donna, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 2014 © Bruce Gilden
(2) New York City, USA. 1986 © Bruce Gilden
(3) Amber, Kensington, Philadelphia, USA. 2023 © Bruce Gilden
(4) Ginza, Tokyo, Japan. 1998 © Bruce Gilden
(5) Bruce Gilden ©Peter Baiamonte

“A good street picture will smell of the street.” – Bruce Gilden

Bruce Gilden’s photography confronts you. A flash. A stare. A face you can’t forget. He captures outsiders, misfits, and the overlooked, showing them raw and real. Gang members, homeless people, sex workers, and others on society’s edges often trust him to be photographed. Like him, they have “experienced the streets,” and his Brooklyn upbringing gives him a rare ability to connect deeply with the people he portrays.

“Why These?” presents 41 photographs selected by the photographer himself, tracing some of his major projects in Coney Island, Haiti, New York, and Tokyo, and his bold shift to digital color in 2013.

Join us on 24 April for the exhibition opening and hear Bruce Gilden in conversation with Creative Director Donald Schneider about the provocative power of his work. Secure your spot via the link in bio.

This exhibition is curated by Jessica Jarl (Global Director of Exhibitions at Fotografiska) and co-curated by Marie-Luise Mayer (Exhibitions Manager at Fotografiska Berlin) in close collaboration with the artist.

Image credits:
(1) Donna, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 2014 © Bruce Gilden
(2) New York City, USA. 1986 © Bruce Gilden
(3) Amber, Kensington, Philadelphia, USA. 2023 © Bruce Gilden
(4) Ginza, Tokyo, Japan. 1998 © Bruce Gilden
(5) Bruce Gilden ©Peter Baiamonte

“A good street picture will smell of the street.” – Bruce Gilden

Bruce Gilden’s photography confronts you. A flash. A stare. A face you can’t forget. He captures outsiders, misfits, and the overlooked, showing them raw and real. Gang members, homeless people, sex workers, and others on society’s edges often trust him to be photographed. Like him, they have “experienced the streets,” and his Brooklyn upbringing gives him a rare ability to connect deeply with the people he portrays.

“Why These?” presents 41 photographs selected by the photographer himself, tracing some of his major projects in Coney Island, Haiti, New York, and Tokyo, and his bold shift to digital color in 2013.

Join us on 24 April for the exhibition opening and hear Bruce Gilden in conversation with Creative Director Donald Schneider about the provocative power of his work. Secure your spot via the link in bio.

This exhibition is curated by Jessica Jarl (Global Director of Exhibitions at Fotografiska) and co-curated by Marie-Luise Mayer (Exhibitions Manager at Fotografiska Berlin) in close collaboration with the artist.

Image credits:
(1) Donna, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 2014 © Bruce Gilden
(2) New York City, USA. 1986 © Bruce Gilden
(3) Amber, Kensington, Philadelphia, USA. 2023 © Bruce Gilden
(4) Ginza, Tokyo, Japan. 1998 © Bruce Gilden
(5) Bruce Gilden ©Peter Baiamonte

“A good street picture will smell of the street.” – Bruce Gilden

Bruce Gilden’s photography confronts you. A flash. A stare. A face you can’t forget. He captures outsiders, misfits, and the overlooked, showing them raw and real. Gang members, homeless people, sex workers, and others on society’s edges often trust him to be photographed. Like him, they have “experienced the streets,” and his Brooklyn upbringing gives him a rare ability to connect deeply with the people he portrays.

“Why These?” presents 41 photographs selected by the photographer himself, tracing some of his major projects in Coney Island, Haiti, New York, and Tokyo, and his bold shift to digital color in 2013.

Join us on 24 April for the exhibition opening and hear Bruce Gilden in conversation with Creative Director Donald Schneider about the provocative power of his work. Secure your spot via the link in bio.

This exhibition is curated by Jessica Jarl (Global Director of Exhibitions at Fotografiska) and co-curated by Marie-Luise Mayer (Exhibitions Manager at Fotografiska Berlin) in close collaboration with the artist.

Image credits:
(1) Donna, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 2014 © Bruce Gilden
(2) New York City, USA. 1986 © Bruce Gilden
(3) Amber, Kensington, Philadelphia, USA. 2023 © Bruce Gilden
(4) Ginza, Tokyo, Japan. 1998 © Bruce Gilden
(5) Bruce Gilden ©Peter Baiamonte

“A good street picture will smell of the street.” – Bruce Gilden

Bruce Gilden’s photography confronts you. A flash. A stare. A face you can’t forget. He captures outsiders, misfits, and the overlooked, showing them raw and real. Gang members, homeless people, sex workers, and others on society’s edges often trust him to be photographed. Like him, they have “experienced the streets,” and his Brooklyn upbringing gives him a rare ability to connect deeply with the people he portrays.

“Why These?” presents 41 photographs selected by the photographer himself, tracing some of his major projects in Coney Island, Haiti, New York, and Tokyo, and his bold shift to digital color in 2013.

Join us on 24 April for the exhibition opening and hear Bruce Gilden in conversation with Creative Director Donald Schneider about the provocative power of his work. Secure your spot via the link in bio.

This exhibition is curated by Jessica Jarl (Global Director of Exhibitions at Fotografiska) and co-curated by Marie-Luise Mayer (Exhibitions Manager at Fotografiska Berlin) in close collaboration with the artist.

Image credits:
(1) Donna, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 2014 © Bruce Gilden
(2) New York City, USA. 1986 © Bruce Gilden
(3) Amber, Kensington, Philadelphia, USA. 2023 © Bruce Gilden
(4) Ginza, Tokyo, Japan. 1998 © Bruce Gilden
(5) Bruce Gilden ©Peter Baiamonte

“A good street picture will smell of the street.” – Bruce Gilden

Bruce Gilden’s photography confronts you. A flash. A stare. A face you can’t forget. He captures outsiders, misfits, and the overlooked, showing them raw and real. Gang members, homeless people, sex workers, and others on society’s edges often trust him to be photographed. Like him, they have “experienced the streets,” and his Brooklyn upbringing gives him a rare ability to connect deeply with the people he portrays.

“Why These?” presents 41 photographs selected by the photographer himself, tracing some of his major projects in Coney Island, Haiti, New York, and Tokyo, and his bold shift to digital color in 2013.

Join us on 24 April for the exhibition opening and hear Bruce Gilden in conversation with Creative Director Donald Schneider about the provocative power of his work. Secure your spot via the link in bio.

This exhibition is curated by Jessica Jarl (Global Director of Exhibitions at Fotografiska) and co-curated by Marie-Luise Mayer (Exhibitions Manager at Fotografiska Berlin) in close collaboration with the artist.

Image credits:
(1) Donna, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 2014 © Bruce Gilden
(2) New York City, USA. 1986 © Bruce Gilden
(3) Amber, Kensington, Philadelphia, USA. 2023 © Bruce Gilden
(4) Ginza, Tokyo, Japan. 1998 © Bruce Gilden
(5) Bruce Gilden ©Peter Baiamonte