One of William Klein's early mentors, artist Fernand Leger, told him: "Get out of the galleries. Look at buildings; go out onto the street." That is exactly what Klein did — and he went on to become one of the most influential photographers of his generation, channeling the kineticism of cities including New York, Paris, Tokyo and Moscow in his work.
Klein died Saturday at age 96 in his adopted city of Paris, his son Pierre Klein announced. His death came during the last few days of a major retrospective show at the International Center of Photography in New York, which was scheduled to close Monday.
