For Naked City, his first collection, Weegee cruised the streets of 1940s New York in the wee hours in search of the sensational. Lewd, louche, licentious but always brimming with life (except when brimming with death), Weegee's photographs have endured decades of modern art criticism and are again enjoying a much-deserved cult revival.

Weegee's First book, 'Naked City' (1953), was a runaway success and made him a celebrity who suddenly had assignments from Life and Vogue. He was among the first to fully realize the camera's unique power to capture split-second drama and exaggerated emotion. Regarded as some of the most powerful images of the 20th-century photography, Weegee's work now resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.