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ELLIOTT ERWITT. To his 95th birthday. And now R.I.P. and thank for inspiring us forever.
Our deepest condolences go to his family and friends. As a huge fan of your work I like to thank you for your sense of humor, your sharp eye for moments in time and the beautiful productions. It is an honor to exhibit your works. About two years ago we had put together this online exhibition and some can be admired at our Munich gallery.
About Elliott Erwitt:
Born in Paris in 1928 to Russian parents, Erwitt spe... more >> Dear Elliott,
Our deepest condolences go to his family and friends. As a huge fan of your work I like to thank you for your sense of humor, your sharp eye for moments in time and the beautiful productions. It is an honor to exhibit your works. About two years ago we had put together this online exhibition and some can be admired at our Munich gallery.
About Elliott Erwitt:
Born in Paris in 1928 to Russian parents, Erwitt spent his childhood in Milan, then emigrated to the US, via France, with his family in 1939. As a teenager living in Hollywood, he developed an interest in photography and worked in a commercial darkroom before experimenting with photography at Los Angeles City College. In 1948, he moved to New York and exchanged janitorial work for film classes at the New School for Social Research.
Erwitt traveled in France and Italy in 1949 with his trusty Rolleiflex camera. In 1951, he was drafted for military service and undertook various photographic duties while serving in a unit of the Army Signal Corps in Germany and France.
While in New York, Erwitt met Edward Steichen, Robert Capa and Roy Stryker, the former head of the Farm Security Administration. Stryker initially hired Erwitt to work for the Standard Oil Company, where he was building up a photographic library for the company, and subsequently commissioned him to undertake a project documenting the city of Pittsburgh.
In 1953, Erwitt joined Magnum Photos and worked as a freelance photographer for Collier’s, Look, LIFE, Holiday and other luminaries in that golden period for illustrated magazines. To this day, he is for hire and continues to work for a variety of journalistic and commercial outfits.
In the late 1960s, Erwitt served as Magnum’s president for three years (and actually has spent 70 or the 76 years of it's existence with Magnum). He then turned to film: in the 1970s, he produced several notable documentaries and in the 1980s eighteen comedy films for HBO. Erwitt became known for benevolent irony, and for a humanistic sensibility.
© Elliott Erwitt
You will be missed down here but most probably be inspiring and entertaining the angels or many sensitive souls whereever you are.