The Family of Man

The Family of Man was an ambitious photo exhibition curated by Edward Steichen, the director of the photography department at the New York City Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). It is considered the “largest photographic undertaking ever undertaken” and consists of 503 photographs taken by 273 photographers, both professional and amateur photographers, famous and unknown, from 68 countries. The Family of Man was exhibited in 1955 from January 24 to May 8 at MoMA in New York and then toured the world for eight years with record-breaking numbers of visitors.

The physical collection is archived and exhibited at the Château de Clervaux in Luxembourg. It was first exhibited there in 1994 after restoration of the photographs. In 2003, the Family of Man’s photo collection was added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in recognition of its historical value.

By visiting the photo exhibition at this beautiful location, a wish has come true. I think it’s a wonderful exhibition. Iconic photos of an era. We bought the book “The Family of Man” in Clervaux, a valuable memento of this unique exhibition.