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.
The Family of Man
Jan 24–May 8, 1955
MoMA

- This exhibition is a part of 52 Exhibitions.
Publications
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The Family of Man: 60th Anniversary Edition Hardcover, 192 pages
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Master checklist 26 pages
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Press release 2 pages
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Press release 1 page
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Press release 4 pages
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Press release 9 pages
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Press release 1 page
Artists
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Ansel Adams
American, 1902–198448 exhibitions, 86 works online -
Lola Alvarez Bravo
Mexican, 1907–19932 exhibitions, 3 works online -
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
Mexican, 1902–200229 exhibitions, 44 works online -
Erich Andres
1 exhibition -
Emmy Andriesse
Dutch, 1914–19537 exhibitions, 13 works online - There are 251 artists in this exhibition online.
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In 2018–19, MoMA collaborated with Google Arts & Culture Lab on a project using machine learning to identify artworks in installation photos. That project has concluded, and works are now being identified by MoMA staff.
If you notice an error, please contact us at [email protected].
If you would like to reproduce an image of a work of art in MoMA’s collection, or an image of a MoMA publication or archival material (including installation views, checklists, and press releases), please contact Art Resource (publication in North America) or Scala Archives (publication in all other geographic locations).
All requests to license audio or video footage produced by MoMA should be addressed to Scala Archives at [email protected]. Motion picture film stills or motion picture footage from films in MoMA’s Film Collection cannot be licensed by MoMA/Scala. For licensing motion picture film footage it is advised to apply directly to the copyright holders. For access to motion picture film stills please contact the Film Study Center. More information is also available about the film collection and the Circulating Film and Video Library.
If you would like to reproduce text from a MoMA publication or moma.org, please email [email protected]. If you would like to publish text from MoMA’s archival materials, please fill out this permission form and send to [email protected].
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