Through stark black-and-white photographs, the exhibition presents an uncompromising portrait of mid-century New York. Weegee’s images strip the city to its bare essence - its violence, its tragedies, its eccentricities - offering a visceral and deeply human record of people living on society’s margins. His signature use of a Speed Graphic camera and a harsh flash isolated his subjects, emphasising the drama and immediacy of their circumstances.

What makes Weegee’s work distinct is its intimate access to crime and spectacle. A master of timing, he listened to police radio broadcasts, often arriving at crime scenes before the authorities. His images stand alone as striking documents but are also infused with his own wry commentary, which offers insight into his relationship with the city and its inhabitants.

Weegee’s brutal honesty and keen understanding of human nature continue to challenge photographic storytelling. Widely celebrated in his time, his work remains a defining example of documentary photography.

In 1981, Side in Newcastle upon Tyne organised the first UK tour of Weegee’s work, marking a significant milestone in bringing his compelling narratives to a British audience. This initiative fostered a lasting relationship between Side Gallery and Weegee’s widow, Wilma Wilcox, which continued until her passing in the early 1990s.

Arthur Fellig was born in Austria in 1899. Coming to the USA in 1909, he ended up in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Leaving school in 1914 to help support the family, he worked for a time as a street photographer. In 1923 he joined Acme News Services as a darkroom operator. In 1935, he left to work as a freelance photographer.

He acquired the name "Weegee" early on, a reference to the Ouija board and his uncanny ability to arrive quickly at crime scenes – sometimes, even before the police (from 1937, he was the only civilian allowed to install a police radio in his car).

From 1940 to 1944, Weegee worked on a retainer to PM newspaper, free to choose his own stories and making many of his best pictures in this period. 1945 saw an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art and the publication of his best seller Naked City. The following year Weegee’s People was published - opening up on the stories of New York: its streets, its bars and tenements, its crimes, tragedies and entertainments, he helped to shape urban America’s consciousness of itself, his images defining both the myth and reality of the city.

Emerging as a national celebrity, he travelled to Hollywood, lecturing and photographing for Naked Hollywood (1953). He travelled widely and continued to work up until his death in 1968.