Simone + Nina, Spanish Steps, Rome
1960
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to image): 39.8 x 29.4 cm (15 11/16 x 11 9/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.67.125
Art Historical Context
**Simone + Nina, Spanish Steps, Rome** (1960) is a striking gelatin silver print by William Klein, the pioneering American photographer renowned for revolutionizing street photography. Captured at one of Rome's most iconic landmarks—the Baroque Spanish Steps—this image freezes a candid moment with two figures, Simone and Nina, amid the urban bustle. Klein, who gained fame with his groundbreaking 1956 book *New York*, traveled extensively in the late 1950s and 1960s, turning Europe's vibrant streets into dynamic canvases that challenged conventional photographic norms. Klein's signature style ...