MAASTRICHT.- Fotomuseum aan het Vrijthof in Maastricht presents a tribute to the life and work of the legendary American photojournalist Eve Arnold (1912-2012) from 19 September 2026 until 31 January 2027. The large retrospective exhibition All about Eve features a selection of 130 iconic black-and-white and colour photographs from her impressive oeuvre, with a focus on the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
Eve Arnold is one of the most important photographers of the 20th century. In 1951, she became the first woman to join the prestigious Magnum Photos agency. Arnold was born in Philadelphia, lived in New York City, and moved to London in 1962. The photojournalist enjoys international acclaim for her social documentary and intimate celebrity photography.
The exhibition shows portraits of famous film stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, and Joan Crawford. Works have also been selected from the series A Baby’s Momentous First Five Minutes, New York by Night, Fashion Shows in Harlem and Malcolm X. Additionally, travel photographs from Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Haiti, India, and South Africa are on display.
Through a female, empathetic gaze and a humanist perspective, Eve Arnold captured major stories and historic moments for over fifty years. As photographer she used a camera to understand rather than to judge. Her documentary photography is based on human engagement, curiosity, openness, and compassion.
The work of Eve Arnold is bundled in fifteen photobooks and included in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and Centre Pompidou in Paris. In 1995, the photographer was honoured by the British Royal Photographic Society and the International Center of Photography in New York.
The exhibition All about Eve was created in collaboration with Magnum Photos and CAMERA – Centro Italiano per la Fotografia in Turin. The German guest curator, Nina Mika-Helfmeier, is affiliated with the Fotografie-Forum in Monschau.
