Louis Stettner, a photographer who explored the streets of the cities of New York and Paris, recording the daily lives of its inhabitants, died last week at his home in Saint-Ouen, France, at age 93. His death was announced by the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, where he had a show that closed just a month ago.
Born on November 7th, 1922 in Brooklyn, New York, in an Austrian Jewish family, Stettner joined the Photo League and concentrated his photography on socially conscious, documentary work, like its other members Berenice Abbott, Walter Rosenblum, Weegee or Robert Frank. While living in Paris after World War II, he also found inspiration by entering the circle of French photographers, including Robert Doisneau, Brassaï and Henri Cartier-Bresson. He was also the author of articles on photography, taught in different schools, and created sculptures, paintings, not hesitating to mix different techniques.
“Louis was a ferocious man, a one of a kind personality, but with a heart of gold,” said art dealer Peter Fetterman. “I felt honored to have helped him get his dream project on Penn Station finally published. The chance to get to work with him was a gift. His great images of New York and Paris reflect a gentler era and a common humanity, which is hard to find now. For this reason alone his legacy is timeless.”
