Skip to main content

William Klein Art

American, 1926-2022

American photographer William Klein continually channeled the zeitgeist through his oeuvre, imbuing his photography with startling honesty and empathy, as well as his own particular brand of abstraction. The portraits, scenes and scenarios resemble windows into a world where reality has begun to warp, sometimes dreamily, other times more emphatically, so that snapshot moments are strangely portentous or full of possibility.

Klein was best known for his early fashion shots and arresting street photography, capturing, with candor and humanity, life in cities around the world, including Rome, Moscow, Tokyo and Paris. His gritty and grainy images of 1950s New York are widely considered his most powerful, documenting the underbelly of a growing metropolis, with his focus set on the energy and multidimensional nature of postwar culture. In his 1955 image Selwyn Theatre, 42nd Street, New York, for example, Klein contrasted the gleaming silhouette of a car with the faded-out forms of a group of young men about town, creating strong graphic patterns that suggest a sense of abandon and opportunity.

Klein’s aesthetic, however, is not easy to summarize, since he demonstrated an eager embrace of experimentation through the decades. Early street shots are often out of focus and taken at unexpected angles, while his 1960s fashion shots and celebrity portraits for Vogue’s American, French and British editions are sleek and subtly Surrealist, pioneering a new style that put the spotlight on the beauty of the composition rather than the allure of the clothes, as seen in Smoke and Veil (1956) and his 1961 portrait of Anouk Aimée for Paris Vogue.

In addition to photography, Klein explored painting, filmmaking, graphic design and publishing, adopting a polymathic attitude to the arts. Klein began his career as a painter under the tutelage of French abstractionist Fernand Léger, having moved to Paris in 1948. The experience opened his mind to the possibilities of manipulated form, specifically the illusionary effects achieved through the playful arrangement of light and shadow.

A commission from 1952 was instrumental in his side step into photography. Having created a painted room divider for an architect, Klein took photographs of the rotating piece. His delight in the fragmented shapes created by the movement prompted him to make thousands of abstract photograms by applying shifting geometrical forms on photographic paper during long exposures.

Indeed, the unorthodox mixture of disorder and imperfection, along with beauty and energy, remained a constant in his work, as evidenced by such unconventionally arresting images as Candy Store, Amsterdam Avenue, New York (1955), Independence Day Parade, Dakar (1963) and Black Venus West Indian Day Parade, Brooklyn, New York (2013). Among Klein’s most famous celluloid achievements is his 1964 documentary Cassius the Great, dedicated to a young Muhammad Ali in the run up to his fight with Sonny Liston.

In fact, many of Klein’s photographs and films have a strong sociopolitical dimension, although they were not intended as acts of propaganda. Instead, they raised awareness about conditions of flux, antagonism, hope and change, especially among African American and minority communities as they navigated times of change. This is exemplified by vibrant shots like Easter Sunday, Harlem High Hat, New York and Moves and Pepsi, Harlem, both featured in the self-designed and self-published seminal tome New York: 1954.55.

Find authentic William Klein photography on 1stDibs.

to
2
16
8
20
13
10
5
4
4
4
3
William Klein Bikini, Moscow exhibition poster (William Klein Paris 1981)
By William Klein
Located in NEW YORK, NY
William Klein Bikini, Moscow Exhibition Poster: Paris, 1981: Highly decorative, rare vintage William Klein Bikini, Moscow exhibition poster defined by Klein's famed 1959 photo. Printed on fine, heavy-weight paper; excellent color tones and overall quality; looks fantastic framed. Offset lithograph on thick wove paper. 1981. 21 x 30 inches. Minor signs of handling; good to very good overall vintage condition. Work has been stored flat in archival setting for many years. Unsigned from an edition of unknown. William Klein is an American artist known for his one of a kind style of abstract photography depicting city scenes. Although similar in subject matter to other street photographers such as Diane Arbus and Saul Leiter, as well as fashion photographers Irving Penn and Richard Avedon, Klein’s images break from established modes. Born on April 19, 1928 in New York, Klein studied painting and worked briefly as Fernand Léger’s assistant in Paris, but never received formal training in photography. His fashion work has been featured prominently in Vogue magazine, and has also been the subject of several iconic...
Category

1960s Pop Art William Klein Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

in and Out of Fashion, William Klein, 1st Edition, Jonathan Cape, 1994
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First Edition, published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1994. This truly amazing book, published to accompany an exhibition at the International Center of Photography in New York, collects the fashion work of legendary photographer William Klein. Showing his early and inventive work for Vogue and others as he explored and developed styles and techniques, we can see a different side to his work than his radical street photography, and how that in turn would feed back into his fashion work and film work through the years. Covering a broad span of his career with fashion and Classic, subversive films like 'Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?' and 'Mister Freedom...
Category

1990s British William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

Paris + Klein, William Klein, 1st US Edition, D.A.P., 2003
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First US Edition, published by D.A.P. / Distributed Art Publishers, New York, 2003. Text in English. This first US edition of William Klein's dynamic and influential portrait of t...
Category

Early 2000s American William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

Parigi + Klein, William Klein, 1st Italian Edition, Contrasto, 2002
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First Italian Edition, published by Contrasto, Rome, 2002. Text in Italian. This Italian edition of William Klein's dynamic and influential portrait of the city of Paris is a stun...
Category

Early 2000s Italian William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

William Klein Bikini Moscow exhibition poster (William Klein Paris 1981)
By William Klein
Located in NEW YORK, NY
William Klein Bikini, Moscow Exhibition Poster: Paris, 1981: Highly decorative, rare vintage William Klein Bikini, Moscow exhibition poster defined by Klein's famed 1959 photo. Printed on fine, heavy-weight paper; excellent color tones and overall quality; looks fantastic framed. Offset lithograph on thick wove paper. 1981. 21 x 30 inches. Minor signs of handling; good to very good overall vintage condition. Work has been stored flat in archival setting for many years. Unsigned from an edition of unknown. William Klein is an American artist known for his one of a kind style of abstract photography depicting city scenes. Although similar in subject matter to other street photographers such as Diane Arbus and Saul Leiter, as well as fashion photographers Irving Penn and Richard Avedon, Klein’s images break from established modes. Born on April 19, 1928 in New York, Klein studied painting and worked briefly as Fernand Léger’s assistant in Paris, but never received formal training in photography. His fashion work has been featured prominently in Vogue magazine, and has also been the subject of several iconic photo books, including Life is Good...
Category

1960s Pop Art William Klein Art

Materials

Offset, Lithograph

MMV Romani, William Klein, 1st Edition, Contrasto, 2005
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First edition, published by Contrasto, Rome, 2005. Text in English and Italian. This English and Italian language photobook from William Klein sees him revisit the Rome that he im...
Category

Early 2000s Italian William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

Mister Freedom, William Klein, 1st Edition, Korinsha Press, 1998
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First Edition, published by Korinsha Press, Japan, 1998. Text in Japanese and with some English headings. A brilliant Japanese photobook of stills, designs and behind the scenes images from William Klein's classic anti-imperialist superhero satire, 'Mister Freedom...
Category

1990s Japanese Post-Modern William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

William Klein Portfolio Magazine (photography)
By William Klein
Located in Brooklyn, NY
William Klein, portfolio magazine. Special edition. 110 pages, 1997. Softcover. 11x14 inches. Some very minor wear otherwise excellent condition. A retrospective of photographs by...
Category

1960s Vintage William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

Contacts - William Klein - First Edition, Contrasto, 2008
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First edition, published by Contrasto, Rome, 2008. Traditionally, a contact sheet has been a working document, annotated for edits and decision making, and seldom displayed, but as ...
Category

Early 2000s Italian William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

Smoke + Veil, Paris, VOGUE, 1958
By William Klein
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer on the verso
Category

1950s William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

New York: 1954.55, William Klein, 1st Edition, Dewi Lewis, 1995
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First edition, published by Dewi Lewis Publishing, Manchester, 1995. When William Klein's images of New York first appeared in 1956 they ushered ...
Category

1990s British William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

Dorothy + Little Bara, Paris, 1960 (Printed Later)
By William Klein
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Signed, titled & dated in pencil on verso Gelatin Silver Print Paper - 20"x24", Matted - 24"x30"
Category

1960s William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Painting + Coffee: Simone D'Aillencourt, Fabiani
By William Klein
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the artist
Category

1960s Modern William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Nina + Simone, Piazza di Spagna, Rome, 1960 - William Klein
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
Nina + Simone, Piazza di Spagna, Rome, 1960 Signed and numbered Platinum-palladium print, printed later 33 x 28 inches From an edition of 20 William ...
Category

Late 20th Century William Klein Art

Materials

Platinum

Messiah 1999 French Grande Film Poster
By William Klein
Located in New York, NY
Original 1999 French grande poster by William Klein for the documentary film Messiah directed by William Klein with Charlotte Hellekant / Lynne Dawson / ...
Category

1990s French William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

Smoke and Veil, Paris (Vogue)
By William Klein
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed, titled, and dated in pencil, verso This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
Category

1950s Other Art Style William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dorothy and Beach Ball and Dwarf Scout, Paris
By William Klein
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print Signed, titled, and dated in pencil, verso This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
Category

1960s Other Art Style William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Anouk Aimée, Paris (Vogue)
By William Klein
Located in New York, NY
Signed by the photographer.
Category

1960s William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Selwyn Theatre, 42nd Street, New York
By William Klein
Located in Santa Monica, CA
signed by artist
Category

20th Century William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Anne St. Marie + Cruiser in Traffic, NY (Vogue)
By William Klein
Located in Santa Monica, CA
William Klein (born April 19, 1928) is an American-born French photographer and filmmaker noted for his ironic approach to both media and his extensive use of unusual photographic te...
Category

1960s William Klein Art

Materials

C Print

Dorothy + Feathered Hat, Rome
By William Klein
Located in New York, NY
Dorothy + Feathered Hat, Rome, 1962 gelatin silver print 30 x 40" ed. of 30
Category

1960s Modern William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Anouk Aimee, Paris
By William Klein
Located in New York, NY
William Klein Anouk Aimee, Paris, 1961 silver gelatin print 32 x 40" ed. of 30 38 x 48" ed. of 30
Category

1960s Modern William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Barbara, Paris
By William Klein
Located in New York, NY
William Klein Barbara, Paris, 1956 gelatin silver print 30 x 40" ed. of 30
Category

1950s Modern William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Hat and 5 Roses, Paris Vogue
By William Klein
Located in Santa Monica, CA
signed by artist
Category

20th Century William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Related Items
Bruce Weber by Bruce Weber, 1st Limited Edition
Located in valatie, NY
Bruce Weber by Bruce Weber. Published by Twelvetrees Press, Los Angeles, 1983. Stated 1st Limited Edition (1/5000) hardcover with dust jacket. Beautifully illustrated with over 50 full-page photogravure plates of male models and actors, a few tinted with halftone colors. Contains subjects: Brothers, Matt...
Category

1980s American Vintage William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

"Goodbye Picasso" by David Douglas Duncan, 1st Edition
By David Duncan
Located in Pittsburgh, PA
"Goodbye Picasso" by David Douglas Duncan. Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1974.
Category

1970s Vintage William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

TAKASHI MURAKAMI - FLOWER BALL - BURNING BLOOD Pop Art. Flowers Red Smiley
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Madrid, Madrid
FLOWER BALL - BURNING BLOOD Date of creation: 2018 Medium: Offset lithograph with silver and high gloss varnishing on paper Edition number: 30/300 Size: 71 cm Ø Condition: In mint co...
Category

2010s Pop Art William Klein Art

Materials

Silver

Flag I /// Pop Art Jasper Johns Abstract Lithograph Black Modern American ULAE
By (After) Jasper Johns
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: (after) Jasper Johns (American, 1930-) Title: "Flag I" Series: Facsimile Catalogue of Jasper Johns Prints *Issued unsigned Year: 1975 Mediu...
Category

1970s Pop Art William Klein Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Out of the Studio by Tom Bianchi, Stated 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
Out of the Studio by Tom Bianchi. Published by St.Martin's Press, 1991. Stated 1st Ed hardcover with dust jacket. The unself-conscious and affectionate con...
Category

1990s William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

All I Ever Wanted - signed limited edition Oversize print
By Blank Barbie
Located in London, GB
All I Ever Wanted 2022 by Blank Barbie Pop Art Print of a muscle beach bikini pageant TV show. Blank Barbie is a contemporary artist currently working...
Category

2010s Pop Art William Klein Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

"Pucci - A Renaissance in Fashion" 1st Edition
Located in Hanover, MA
"Pucci - A Renaissance in Fashion" by Shirley Kennedy, 1st edition, printed in Japan in 1991. All excellent near perfect condition. Cloth cover. First white page...
Category

Late 20th Century Japanese William Klein Art

King - signed limited edition Oversize print
By Blank Barbie
Located in London, GB
King 2022 by Blank Barbie A gentleman is interviewed with his lady friend nearby on a TV show in the 1980s. Blank Barbie is a contemporary artist currently working and living in ...
Category

2010s Pop Art William Klein Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Interview Magazine (Diane von Furstenberg) (Signed by Andy Warhol) /// Pop Art
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: (after) Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) Title: "Interview Magazine (Diane von Furstenberg)" Series: Interview Magazine *Signed by Warhol in black marker inside, on third page Year: 1981 Medium: Offset-Lithography; The complete November, 1981, Vol. XI, No. 11 issue of "Interview" magazine Overall size: 17" x 11" x .25" Condition: One small tear at right center edge of cover page. In otherwise excellent condition Notes: Provenance: private collection - Sacaramento, CA; acquired at a rare book fair in Pasadena, CA from notable autograph dealer Christophe Stickel. It is boldly signed on the third page at center right within a Barney's, New York advertisement. This is immediately seen once opening the first cover page. Approx. 90 pages total. We unconditionally guarantee the signature to be authentic. "Interview" is an American magazine founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol and British journalist John Wilcock. The magazine, nicknamed "The Crystal Ball of Pop", features interviews with celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers. Interviews were usually unedited or edited in the eccentric fashion of Warhol's books and "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again". Diane von Fürstenberg (1946-) is a Belgian fashion designer best known for her wrap dress. She initially rose to prominence in 1969 when she married into the princely German House of Fürstenberg, as the wife of Prince Egon von Fürstenberg. Biography: Andy Warhol ( born Andrew Warhola; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American artist who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture, and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became a renowned and sometimes controversial artist. The Andy Warhol Museum in his native city, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archives. It is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to a single artist. Warhol's art used many types of media, including hand drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, silk screening, sculpture, film, and music. He was also a pioneer in computer-generated art using Amiga computers that were introduced in 1984, two years before his death. He founded Interview magazine and was the author of numerous books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and Popism: The Warhol Sixties. He managed and produced The Velvet Underground, a rock band which had a strong influence on the evolution of punk rock music. He is also notable as a gay man who lived openly as such before the gay liberation movement. His studio, The Factory, was a well known gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy patrons. Warhol has been the subject of numerous retrospective exhibitions, books, and feature and documentary films. He coined the widely used expression "15 minutes of fame". Many of his creations are very collectible and highly valuable. The highest price ever paid for a Warhol painting is US$105 million for a 1963 canvas titled "Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)". A 2009 article in The Economist described Warhol as the "bellwether of the art market". Warhol's works include some of the most expensive paintings...
Category

1980s Pop Art William Klein Art

Materials

Magazine Paper, Lithograph, Offset, Permanent Marker

Classical Furniture by David Linley, 1st Edition
By David Linley
Located in valatie, NY
Classical Furniture by David Linley. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1993. First edition hardcover with dust jacket. 192 pp. A book on classical furniture by the 2nd Ear...
Category

20th Century American William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

Decorative Wedgwood by Alison Kelly, 1st Edition
Located in valatie, NY
Decorative Wedgwood by Alison Kelly. Country Life Limited, 1965. 1st Edition hardcover with dust jacket. The book covers: Josiah Wedgwood and the Taste of His Time, Ideas for Interior Decoration, Chimney-Piece Designs, Jasper Chimney-Pieces, Wyatt, Holland & Cameron (architects), Fonts, Furnishing Details, Tiles and Dairies, Furniture Inset with Wedgwood Ware, the Victorian Revival. A study of Wedgwood's decorative production as it relates to the taste of the times in the applied arts. The author describes the whole range of Wedgwood's output in the field of interior decoration, from the basalt figures and wall plaques to the more esoteric fonts and funeral urns...
Category

1960s American Vintage William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

San Francisco Museum of Art (Pepper Pot) Vinyl Banner /// Andy Warhol Soup Can
By Andy Warhol
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: (after) Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) Title: "San Francisco Museum of Art (Pepper Pot)" Year: 2004 Medium: Original (double-sided) Offset-Lithograph on Vinyl, Museum Street Banner...
Category

Early 2000s Pop Art William Klein Art

Materials

Offset, Lithograph

Previously Available Items
New York: 1954.55, William Klein, 1st Edition, Dewi Lewis, 1995
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First edition, published by Dewi Lewis Publishing, Manchester, 1995. When William Klein's images of New York first appeared in 1956 they ushered ...
Category

1990s British William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

Torino '90, William Klein, 1st Edition, Federico Motta Editore, 1990
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First Edition, published by Federico Motta Editore, Milan, 1990. Text in Italian. Itinerant photographer, satirist, and documenter of the life of cities, William Klein here turns ...
Category

1990s Italian William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

William Klein, Photographs, John Heilpern, 1st Edition, Aperture, 1981
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First Edition, published by Aperture, New York, 1981. A retrospective of William Klein's work up until 1981, this monograph from the photography organisation Aperture was designed...
Category

1980s American Vintage William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

Close Up, William Klein, 1st Us Edition, Thames & Hudson, 1990
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First US Edition, published by Thames & Hudson, New York, 1990. Combining black humour, lyricism and acerbic social observation with daring graphic invention, William Klein's inno...
Category

1990s North American William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

Messiah 1999 French Grande Film Poster
By William Klein
Located in New York, NY
Original 1999 French grande poster by William Klein for the documentary film Messiah directed by William Klein with Charlotte Hellekant / Lynne Dawson / ...
Category

1990s French William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

William Klein MoMa press photo "Kiev Railway Station" 1981
By William Klein
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Publicity print for William Klein at MoMa 1981. William Klein 'Kiev Railroad Station, Moscow' (1959). Silver gelatin print; 8x10 inches; very good vintage condition. Unsigned from a...
Category

1950s Contemporary William Klein Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

William Klein-Evelyn + Gauloise, Paris (1958)-31.5" x 23.5"-Poster-1995
By William Klein
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Some rippling present in the top edge of the print.
Category

20th Century William Klein Art

Materials

Offset

William Klein Bikini Moscow exhibition poster (William Klein Paris 1981)
By William Klein
Located in NEW YORK, NY
William Klein Bikini, Moscow Exhibition Poster: Galerie Zabriskie, Paris, 1981 A chic, elegant, rare vintage William Klein exhibit poster defined by Klein's famed 'Bikini, Moscow' (1...
Category

1960s Contemporary William Klein Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

William Klein, Contacts, 2008
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First edition, published by Contrasto, 2008. Traditionally, a contact sheet is a working document, annotated for edits and decision making, and very seldom displayed. However, in ...
Category

Early 2000s Italian William Klein Art

William Klein, Contacts, 2008
William Klein, Contacts, 2008
H 13.39 in W 17.33 in D 0.4 in
William Klein Rome
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
First revised and expanded edition, published by Thames and Hudson, 2009 William Klein’s Rome is more than a street photographer’s portrayal of a city. Rome knows it’s being photo...
Category

Early 2000s British William Klein Art

Materials

Paper

William Klein Rome
William Klein Rome
H 1.58 in W 13.78 in D 10.24 in
"William Klein" Photophiles
By William Klein
Located in London, GB
Published by Pacific Press Service, 1991 A retrospective compilation, published on the occasion of a 1987 retrospective exhibition of Klein's works and then revised in 1991 to inc...
Category

Late 20th Century Japanese William Klein Art

"William Klein" Photophiles
"William Klein" Photophiles
H 11.42 in W 11.82 in D 0.4 in
Muhammad Ali, Kinshasa, Republique Democratique du Congo
By William Klein
Located in Santa Monica, CA
William Klein (American, b. April 19, 1928) is a photographer best known for incorporating unusual elements into his photographs and videos. Born in New York, he grew up as a Jewish boy...
Category

1970s William Klein Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

William Klein art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic William Klein art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by William Klein in lithograph, offset print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1960s and is mostly associated with the Pop Art style. Not every interior allows for large William Klein art, so small editions measuring 12 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Danny Lyon, Nickolas Muray, and Garry Winogrand. William Klein art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $625 and tops out at $75,000, while the average work can sell for $6,000.

Artists Similar to William Klein

Recently Viewed

View All