William Klein: Belgian Walks
Fifty One Gallery presents the book “William Klein, Unseen Photographs”, shedding new light on a previously unpublished series captured during his time in Belgium.
By Gaia Squarci. Photographs by William Klein
Shot in the country that became personally significant to him through his wife Jeanne, these images reveal a subtler Klein. The strong contrasts and dense atmospheres that define his visual language can be recognized throughout the work, but here he stands as a quiet observer rather than the provocateur behind his most iconic street scenes.
Inside cafés filled with cigarette smoke and along busy sidewalks, Belgians drift through the frame, sometimes unaware, sometimes catching the camera with a fleeting gaze. Curator Roger Szmulewicz, who developed the publication with the William Klein Studio, describes the thrill of uncovering this unseen work as a renewed dialogue with the artist.
Reflecting on photographers’ legacy in his film Contacts, William Klein remarked: “A hundred photos… maybe 125 — that makes a body of work, and it all adds up to one second. The life of a photographer, even a great one as they say: two seconds.” These rediscovered moments expand that fragment of time, offering new insights into Klein’s vision.
The book William Klein, Unseen Photographs is published by Gallery Fifty One and available for 26.42 EUR.
