Immerse Yourself In The World Of Bill Cunningham’s Photography At A New Exhibit

Bill Cunningham, the late New York Times street fashion photographer, was famous for his modesty and simple life. He biked to work, ate cheap meals and wore the same blue coat every day. It’s that modesty that made his photos so powerful: He appreciated the opulent fashions of New York street life through his camera lens, capturing both famous designers and everyday pedestrians, but remained a humble documentarian, never basking in the excesses of the fashion world himself.

Cunningham worked for the Times for nearly 40 years until his death in 2016. He left behind a gigantic body of work, and here is your chance to not just see it up close, but to immerse yourself in it.

From September 12 through October 8, catch a new exhibit, ”Experience The Times of Bill Cunningham,” at the Seaport, featuring large-scale reproductions of Cunningham’s most iconic photos, along with videos and interviews. It will spread across 18,000 square feet, two floors and six spaces, and include artifacts like Cunningham’s Biria bicycle and his iconic blue French worker’s jacket. 

To get really deep in the Cunningham experience, the exhibit will pump in the sounds of city streets and create simulated crosswalks where visitors can pose for photos, feeling like they’re getting snapped on the street by Cunningham himself. Visitors can also take a seat on a bench made of milk crates and a foam mattress, a tribute to the simple bed the photographer slept on in his studio apartment above Carnegie Hall. This is a good place to mention that if you haven’t seen the 2010 documentary ”Bill Cunningham: New York” or the 2020 film ”The Times of Bill Cunningham,” (which inspired this exhibit), you simply must. They contain the story about a man who loved his work and shunned the rest, and famously said: “Money’s the cheapest thing. Liberty and freedom is the most expensive.”

“Experience The Times of Bill Cunningham” is located at 26 Fulton Street, and is open Monday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 9  p.m. Admission is $30. Buy tickets here. 

photos: ESI Design