International Center of Photography, Photography museum and school in Manhattan, United States.
The International Center of Photography is an art museum in Manhattan dedicated exclusively to photography, combining collections, exhibition spaces, and teaching rooms. The facility spans multiple floors on Essex Street and houses galleries for rotating shows alongside a permanent archive of historical prints.
Cornell Capa founded the institution in 1974 to promote documentary photography and continue the legacy of his brother Robert Capa. The center moved in 2016 from Midtown to the Lower East Side and opened modern exhibition spaces there.
The name honors Cornell Capa's vision to establish photography as a distinct art form and make its social role visible. Visitors see rotating exhibitions that show how photographers document social issues and everyday life.
The galleries on the second and third floors are accessible by stairs and an elevator, and all rooms offer barrier-free access. Visitors who want to take their time should plan at least one hour for the exhibitions and can then visit the museum shop on the ground floor.
The collection includes early photographs of street scenes and criminal cases by Weegee, who roamed New York at night and sold his images directly to newspapers. Also featured are works by Roman Vishniac documenting the Jewish community in Eastern Europe before World War II.
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