Helen Levitt

FEB.19.2026 ──────── MAY.17.2026

Helen Levitt
New York, c. 1940
© Film Documents LLC, courtesy Zander Galerie, Cologne

Exhibition

FEB.19.2026 ── MAY.17.2026

Where

Recoletos Exhibition Hall
Paseo Recoletos 23, 28004 Madrid

Telf. +34 91 581 61 00 (attention only during the opening hours of the exhibition hall)
cultura@fundacionmapfre.org

Opening hours:
Mondays (except holidays): 2 pm – 8 pm
Tuesday to Saturday: 11 am – 8 pm
Sunday and holidays: 11 am – 7 pm

*The evacuation of the hall starts 10 minutes before closing time. Last access (7:30 pm or 6:30 pm) only allows a 20 minutes tour to the exhibitions.

Closed:
December 25th, January 1st, 5th and 6th

Limited opening hours:
April 2nd and 3rd, May 1st, 2nd and 15th: 11 am – 3 pm

General Ticket:
5 €

Free Admission time:
Mondays, 2 pm to 8 pm (except holidays)

How to arrive

Buses: 5 – 14 – 27 – 37 – 45 – 53 – 150
www.emtmadrid.es

Subway: Line 4 (Colón), line 2 (Banco de España) and line 5 (Chueca)
www.metromadrid.es

Trains: C-2, C-7, C-8 and C-10
www.renfe.com

Audioguides

Available online in Spanish and English. Online format, accessible via mobile without downloads or installations.

Included with the individual ticket. More information in the “Tickets” section.

Accessibility

Ramp for wheelchair access – The three floors of the hall are accessed by a generously-sized elevator.

Services

Locker Service.

Bookshop

LAIE Tel. 911 703 851 fmapfre@laie.es

Press

To get the press kit or any other info, just reach out to our Press Office.

Helen Levitt (1913–2009) began photographing the streets of New York, her hometown, in the late 1930s, focusing mainly on poor neighborhoods such as Spanish Harlem or the Lower East Side, where the street is the main stage of daily life. Her camera was directed primarily toward children and their street games. These childhood scenes are the central theme of a body of work that captivates us with its ability to transform everyday situations into images that convey all that life can hold of emotion, mystery, or humor and that, although lacking an explicit narrative, manage to establish an immediate connection with the viewer. Levitt’s work soon received the recognition it deserved, and as early as 1943 the Museum of Modern Art in New York organized her first solo exhibition (Photographs of Children).

In later years, she became deeply interested in film and color photography. Regarding the former, in 1948 she collaborated on the documentary The Quiet One and co-directed In the Street, another documentary about the streets of Spanish Harlem. Both titles would be highly influential in the subsequent evolution of documentary cinema, inspiring artists such as Jonas Mekas and Andy Warhol. On the other hand, after receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1959 to explore chromatic techniques, she began experimenting with color photography, a medium in which she would also develop pioneering work.

A socially committed artist, Levitt was one of the first women to forge a professional career in photography. This exhibition is the first to be organized based on the entirety of her work and archives, which have only recently been made available for public consultation.

Curator: Joshua Chuang

Buy tickets

Select an option

Tickets

Online sale of tickets will be available since February 2^nd

Individual

Individual Ticket (includes audio guide)

Allows to visit Helen Levitt and Anders Zorn. Traveling the World, Remembering the Land.
GENERAL ADMISSION: €5 / REDUCED ADMISSION: €3 (Beneficiaries of reduced admission).
FREE ADMISSION:
- General Free Admission (€0): Mondays (except holidays) from 2 pm to 8 pm.
- Free admission for eligible groups: Click here to see the groups entitled to free entry and how to obtain these tickets.
AUDIO GUIDE: All individual ticket types (general, reduced, free) include audio guide.
The audio guide is accessible online via a QR code available at various points in the exhibition hall. To access it, you will need a mobile device with internet access. If you do not have an active mobile internet connection, you can use the free Wi-Fi available in the exhibition hall.
To avoid disturbing other visitors, please use the audio guide with headphones, which are not included in the ticket price. For reasons of sustainability, we recommend that visitors bring their own. In case you need to purchase them (€1), the option is offered during the online ticket purchase process. They can also be purchased at the ticket office (keeping the corresponding queue) and at the bookshop.
IMPORTANT: The headphones provided are JACK type. Before purchasing them, make sure they are compatible with your mobile device.
If you choose not to use headphones, please keep your cell phone close to your ear and at a low volume.

Commented Tour

Cultural mediation is one of the most dynamic and effective instruments used by Museums to provide their visitors a better understanding of exhibitions.
During the exhibition (at the times indicated below), our mediation team will be present in the gallery to offer visitors who request it a brief explanation (approximately 10–15 minutes) about the most relevant artistic, historical, and other aspects of the exhibition.
Hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays: 5:00-8:00 pm; Fridays and Saturdays: 12:00-2:00 pm and 5:00-8:00 pm; Sundays and Holidays: 12:00-2:00 pm.
No additional cost upon ticket. Information at reception desk.

MAPFRE Clients

MAPFRE offers to its policyholders 2 free tickets (4 if Platinum Client) for each exhibition season. To obtain courtesy tickets of MAPFRE, access the online ticket office and follow the purchase process. Tickets are discounted at the end of the purchase process: before payment, the program will request your ID and will automatically activate the free tickets that correspond to you.
You can also get them at the ticket office in the room, presenting your ID.
Invitations must be used in a single visit.
Any question you have, please check these simple instructions.

Collaborating Entities

If you belong to any of the entities that collaborate with Fundación MAPFRE, you must obtain your reduced ticket (€1 or €3) at the ticket office in the room.

Audio Guide (headphones)

All individual ticket types (general, reduced, free) include audio guide.
The audio guide is accessible online via a QR code available at various points in the exhibition hall. To access it, you will need a mobile device with internet access. If you do not have an active mobile internet connection, you can use the free Wi-Fi available in the exhibition hall.
To avoid disturbing other visitors, please use the audio guide with headphones, which are not included in the ticket price. For reasons of sustainability, we recommend that visitors bring their own. In case you need to purchase them (€1), the option is offered during the online ticket purchase process. They can also be purchased at the ticket office (keeping the corresponding queue) and at the bookshop.
IMPORTANT: The headphones provided are JACK type. Before purchasing them, make sure they are compatible with your mobile device.
If you choose not to use headphones, please keep your cell phone close to your ear and at a low volume.

Groups

Group Visit

It’s mandatory for the Group Visit to have a guide or person in charge. To request a guide from the Foundation, ask please for information and rates to: cultura@fundacionmapfre.org
The group must be made up of a minimum of 6 pax. a maximum of 15 pax (guide included).
The use of an audio-guiding system is mandatory for the visit. If the group does not have its own, you must add it (€1/pax) during the online purchase process.
Hours: MONDAY: 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm; TUESDAY, THURSDAY, and FRIDAY: 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. WEDNESDAY: 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. Maximum visit duration: 60 minutes.
The formalization of the booking implies the acceptance of the Rules for the visit, especially those indicated for “Group Tour”.

€3/pax.

Schools

Educational activities for schools are developed entirely in Spanish. If you are interested please consult section Colegios y Familias.

Families

Educational activities for families are developed entirely in Spanish. If you are interested please consult section Colegios y Familias.

IMPORTANT: Before you start the ticket buying process, we strongly recommend that you take into account the following observations:

Tickets changes or returns are not allowed except for justified force majeure.
The purchase of tickets presupposes the acceptance of the Rules for the visit. We recommend reading it before entering the room.
If your visit is scheduled for the late afternoon, please remember that the room is cleared 10 minutes before closing time (8 pm from Tuesday to Saturday; 7 pm on Sundays and holidays).
Fundación MAPFRE is not responsible for the rates, schedules and other information applied on the websites of other entities where tickets for their exhibitions can be purchased.
If the online ticket purchasing process is cancelled, suspended or cut off, please contact our support telephone numbers: +34 915 816 100 (attention exclusively during the opening hours of the exhibition hall).
Other rates for eligible groups (44 KB)

If you need more information about the exhibition, you can see it here.

View all Exhibitions