Advertising guru and photographer Peter Arnell has been quoted as saying a lot of things, but one idea that resonates with us is this thought on beauty: “I think you can make anything beautiful,” he says. This ethos is on display at his retrospective at Milk Gallery, through April 1st,  where right now you can see a collection of his photographs taken over the course of 30 years. Many of the images have never been publicly displayed. They are moody, all black and white and seem to convey a love affair with New York City and an ability to identify points of grace and intrigue in otherwise stark urban scenes and cityscapes. But they are all, well, beautiful.

Peter Arnell’s “Photographs 1984-2014” at Milk Gallery opened on March 5 and will be on display until April 1, 2014.

Eyelashes
(c) Peter Arnell Courtesy of the Artist and Milk Gallery

Train
(c) Peter Arnell Courtesy of the Artist and Milk Gallery

Pantheon
(c) Peter Arnell Courtesy of the Artist and Milk Gallery

Mannequin
(c) Peter Arnell Courtesy of the Artist and Milk Gallery

Walking Leg
(c) Peter Arnell Courtesy of the Artist and Milk Gallery

Window
(c) Peter Arnell Courtesy of the Artist and Milk Gallery

Highway
(c) Peter Arnell Courtesy of the Artist and Milk Gallery

Empire State Building
(c) Peter Arnell Courtesy of the Artist and Milk Gallery

Twin Towers
(c) Peter Arnell Courtesy of the Artist and Milk Gallery