The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York

The Family of Man

January 24–May 8, 1955 The Museum of Modern Art

This ambitious exhibition, which brought together hundreds of images by photographers working around the world, was a forthright declaration of global solidarity in the decade following World War II. Organized by noted photographer and director of MoMA’s Department of Photography Edward Steichen, the exhibition took the form of a photo essay celebrating the universal aspects of the human experience. Steichen had invited photographers to submit photographs for consideration, explaining that his aim was to capture “the gamut of life from birth to death”—a task for which, he argued, photography was uniquely suited. The exhibition toured the world for eight years, attracting more than 9 million visitors.

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Installation images

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MoMA collaborated with Google Arts & Culture Lab on a project using machine learning to identify artworks in installation photos.

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