In the midst of Berlin’s winter haze, a stop in Kreuzberg’s art-scented streets… This week on Apartment No: 26’s Berlin route, there’s a legend who focused her lens not just on light, but directly on the “human soul.” The retrospective “Capturing Compassion” of Eve Arnold—one of Magnum Photos’ first female photographers—has opened its doors at f³ – freiraum für fotografie.
Running until March 1, 2026, this exhibition is a tribute to Arnold’s magnificent career, which began in Philadelphia and extended to the glittering backstage of Hollywood and the political arenas of the United States.
The Instrument Behind the Lens: The Human Heart
Eve Arnold’s approach to photography is summed up in her famous words:
“If a photographer cares about the people in front of the lens and is compassionate, a lot is given to him/her. It’s not the camera that is the instrument—the photographer is.”
The approximately 140 works in the exhibition prove how Arnold used her camera as a tool of “transparency” and “trust.”
From Harlem to Washington: The Dignity of Black Life
One of the most radical works of Arnold’s career takes place in the 1950s, in a United States shaken by segregation. As a white female photographer, entering Malcolm X’s rallies and documenting the Black Muslim movement required not only courage but immense empathy for that era.
Harlem Beauty Contests: Arnold captured not the performances on stage, but the preparation moments backstage—the quiet excitement in those private rooms.
Representation: Her photographs open a unique window of elegance, pride, and femininity onto Black life of those years.
Hollywood’s Mask Falling: Marilyn Monroe
The exhibition’s second floor is dedicated to Hollywood’s Golden Age and Arnold’s most famous friendship—with Marilyn Monroe. The bond Arnold formed with Monroe went far beyond the classic “star-photographer” relationship.
The Misfits: In frames from the set of the 1961 film, we see Monroe lowering her famous “mask.” A melancholic gaze from a truck window, a woman immersed in James Joyce’s Ulysses on a park bench, or simply wrapped in a sheet with an innocent smile…
The Power of Trust: Unlike other photographers, Arnold was the only one allowed to capture Monroe’s fragile and vulnerable moments.
Looking at the Unseen: Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford
Arnold’s mastery was not limited to Monroe. Throughout the exhibition, we witness Joan Crawford’s meticulous preparation at her makeup table and Marlene Dietrich singing with a cigarette in hand in a dimly lit studio. By giving these giant figures the distance and respect they needed, Arnold knew how to bring their most “human” states to light.
Make your way to this courtyard building on Prinzessinnenstraße in Berlin. Seeing Eve Arnold’s “compassionate” legacy left to the 20th century is not just visiting a photography exhibition—it’s like taking a profound lesson about the human soul.
