New Documents

photography exhibition

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June 17, 2026

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The term "New Documents" refers to a pivotal 1967 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art that showcased the work of Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, and Garry Winogrand. This exhibition marked a significant shift in documentary photography, moving away from the idea of pure objectivity. The photographers featured were seen as artists with distinct points of view, rather than simple recorders of facts. Their work, influenced by earlier photographers like Robert Frank, embraced a more personal and subjective approach, often capturing candid moments of everyday life in public spaces, a genre closely related to street photography.12

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Lee Friedlander
…in the groundbreaking exhibition “New Documents.” That exhibition acknowledged a new brand of documentary photography that celebrated the specific point of view of the photographer. Thirty of Friedlander’s photographs, many of which were street scenes, were exhibited alongside those by Winogrand and Arbus. The exhibition catapulted the careers of…
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…in the groundbreaking exhibition “New Documents.” That exhibition acknowledged a new brand of documentary photography that celebrated the specific point of view of the photographer. Thirty of Friedlander’s photographs, many of which were street scenes, were exhibited alongside those by Winogrand and Arbus. The exhibition catapulted the careers of…
Read More

street photography
Into the 21st century
… organized the now-celebrated exhibition “New Documents” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, featuring the work of Arbus, Friedlander, and Winogrand and identifying them as the new generation of photographers following in the footsteps of Frank and inspired by the “snapshot” look. Szarkowski’s exhibition revealed as…
Read More
… organized the now-celebrated exhibition “New Documents” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, featuring the work of Arbus, Friedlander, and Winogrand and identifying them as the new generation of photographers following in the footsteps of Frank and inspired by the “snapshot” look. Szarkowski’s exhibition revealed as…
Read More