City as Stage

Photographs by Massimo Giachetti

July 27, 2023 - September 28, 2023

The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) is pleased to present a collection of work by photographer Massimo Giachetti. With a unique eye for the interplay between character, background, and foreground, Giachetti’s photographs capture New Yorkers interacting with the public realm in a way that unmistakably recalls actors upon a theatrical stage. From behind the lens, Giachetti captures the art and spirit that imbues even mundane moments, when played out in extraordinary spaces. As a collection, the works remind us of the millions of stories quietly unfolding every day on street corners, train platforms, plazas, and parks across the city.

About the Artist

Massimo Giachetti was born in Florence, Italy in 1961. In the early 80’s he studied photography at UCLA in Los Angeles and has been a street photographer ever since. In 2011 he moved to New York permanently where he revived his love for street photography by capturing scenes around the big metropolis of New York. Through the use of color he’s been trying to blend dramatic graffiti and interesting backgrounds with the people going about their daily struggle. Thanks to the collaboration with international agencies like Camera Press and Getty Images his work has been published all over the world.

You can see more of his work on Instagram at @photomg204
Photo 1 of 24
January 5, 2017. A woman looks at a portrait of music artist Lou Reed by Chuck Close at the newly opened 2nd avenue subway station on the Upper East side of Manhattan. © Massimo Giachetti
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April 17, 2015. A woman elegantly dressed enters the Church of the Holy Redeemer in the East Village in Manhattan. © Massimo Giachetti
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April 18, 2019. Elderly woman walks by a Red Cross aid station on the promenade of Coney Island beach. © Massimo Giachetti
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November 4, 2020. New York police officers standing outside the TKTS pavilion in Times Square during the Covid lockdown. © Massimo Giachetti
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June 4, 2016. Young model during a photoshoot poses in front of a mural in Bushwick, Brooklyn. © Massimo Giachetti
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July 27, 2017. Two navy officers walk in front of the Winter Garden Theatre in Midtown Manhattan during fleet week. © Massimo Giachetti
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August 4, 2020. A man walks the stairs leading to a subway station during a summer storm in Astoria , Queens. © Massimo Giachetti
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November 7, 2013. A mother with her three kids standing in front of a mural in Brooklyn. © Massimo Giachetti
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October 18, 2018. Airline crew in front of the New Yorker Hotel in Midtown, Manhattan. © Massimo Giachetti
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January 6, 2013. A man pushes a cart in front of Coney Island's Luna Park in winter. © Massimo Giachetti
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May 3, 2016. A man walks in the rain on the boardwalk of Coney Island. © Massimo Giachetti
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November 15, 2015. An elderly man crosses the street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. © Massimo Giachetti
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February 19, 2016. A police officer standing guard at the entrance of the Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center. © Massimo Giachetti
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May 9, 2017. A woman walks by a mural celebrating immigrants in Harlem. © Massimo Giachetti
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September 11, 2016. Bus driver standing in front of his bus in Lower Manhattan. © Massimo Giachetti
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July 1, 2020. A woman walks by the exit of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway in Jackson Heights in Queens.© Massimo Giachetti
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February 25, 2021. A huge mural dedicated to hip hop culture by Brazilian twins Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo known as “Os Gemeos” on West 14th street in Manhattan. © Massimo Giachetti
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May 4, 2016. A woman pushes a stroller in front of a graffiti reading “Love above everything else” in Spanish Harlem. © Massimo Giachetti
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June 9, 2020. Train conductor waits for departure time at an empty track during Covid lockdown at Grand Central Station. © Massimo Giachetti
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June 13, 2019. A uniformed sanitation worker keeping Times Square clean in front of the digital flag of the United States. © Massimo Giachetti
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November 5, 2018. A man standing by an empty basketball court during the autumn foliage on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. © Massimo Giachetti
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April 19, 2018. A man waits for the bus while reading at 42nd street in Manhattan. © Massimo Giachetti
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August 23, 2015. A young man walks by a mural in Astoria, Queens. © Massimo Giachetti
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April 3, 2016. "Bushwick Collective” Street art in Bushwick, Brooklyn. © Massimo Giachetti