The Great Empty Photographs by The New York Times Introduction by Michael Kimmelman March 23, 2020 DURING THE 1950S, New York’s Museum of Modern Art organized a famous photo exhibition called “The Family of Man.” In the wake of a world war, the show, chockablock with pictures of people, celebrated humanity’s cacophony, resilience and common bond. Today a different global calamity has made scarcity the necessary condition of humanity’s survival. Cafes along the Navigli in Milan hunker behind shutters along with the Milanese who used to sip aperos beside the canal. Times Square is a ghost town, as are the City of London and the Place de la Concorde in Paris during what used to be the morning rush. The photographs here all tell a similar story: a temple in Indonesia; Haneda Airport in Tokyo; the Americana Diner in New Jersey. Emptiness proliferates like the virus.The New York Gimes 2 Tete topos ErichLondon This is what rush hour looks like now ina major metropolis. The k \ he New York mesMunich Asubway without commuters.Moscow The seats were empty at rehearsal, and remained so for the online performance. -onomare’Beijing Alone diner in a neighborhood known for its nightlife.Caracas Day 2 of Venezuela’s nationwide quarantine. 2 for The New York TimesLos Angeles An unchanging ocean, a barely recognizable beach in Santa Monica. Philip Cheung for The New York TimesBarcelona Pigeons had Las Ramblas to themselves. Maria Contreras Coll for The New York Timesi ie | « es s mn Ag New Jersey The Americana Diner in West Orange was open — but only for takeout. Bryan Anselm for The New York TimesSrinagar, India In a tourist season without tourists, boats without passengers. Atul Loke for The New York TimesBangkok Streets of fear in a city popular with Chinese visitors from Wuhan.Berlin Keep your distance: That is the plea from the German government. Emile Ducke for The New York TimesNew Delhi Aday at the fair in Red Fort. Saumya Khandelwal for The New York TimesRome The view from the Spanish Steps. Alessandro Penso for The New York TimesWashington Even cherry blossom season did not draw visitors to the Lincoln Memorial.Tokyo When the world stops traveling. Noriko Hayashi for The New York TimesSeoul South Korea’s outbreak was, for weeks, the worst outside China. Woohae Cho for The New York TimesSeattle Ahot dog was as unlikely as a visit to the Space Needle. Grant Hindsley for The New York TimesMilan The Navigli, where the Milanese often gather at the end of the day. Alessandro Grassani for The New York TimesSan Francisco California residents have been ordered to stay home. Rozette Rago for The New York TimesWY New York A major transit hub, the Oculus, in a city no longer on the move. Victor J. Blue for The New York TimesYangon, Myanmar Nothing to see here: Tourists used to come for the panoramic view.Sao Paulo The last picture show, or one of them, before theaters were shut.Siem Reap, Cambodia No visits to Angkor Wat, and no Pub Street toasts afterward. Adam Dean for The New York TimesSydney, Australia Sunset is normally prime photo-taking time at the Opera House. Matthew Abbott for The New York TimesHong Kong A popular viewing point, but few takers. Lam Yik Fei for The New York TimesYogyakarta, Indonesia Only the buildings needed guarding at a temple complex.Paris The view is still there, the viewers far less so. Andre \ he New York Times a Mantovani for’Bogota, Colombia An empty cloverleaf tells the story of a city on lockdown. Federico Rios for The New York TimesTehran Happy New Year: The Persian New Year comes to Iran. Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times