elliott erwitt—platinum prints

• Exhibition period: 15 December 2018 to 31 January 2019
• Exhibition venue: f22 foto space, 5/F Amber Commercial Building, 70-74 Morrison Hill Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

f22 is proud to present a collection of 19 platinum prints of the distinguished American Magnum photographer, Elliott Erwitt.  The image quality is fascinating, with densely rich shadows and exquisitely fine highlights.

about platinum prints

While monochrome photographs are usually salt printed and contemporary colour photos with pigments, platinum printing is considered an 'aristocratic' method - it uses platinum, the precious metal for printing, requiring special film development techniques, chemicals and photo papers, and there are no two identical platinum prints, making each one unique.

Elliott has chosen these 19 images for platinum printing because they have particular tones that have translated well. The image quality is fascinating, with densely rich shadows and exquisitely fine highlights. The overall tone is even and sublime. In addition, the prints could be preserved for decades almost without fading, making them valuable collectibles.A 400-page book titled “Black Paint Leica”, written by Mr Douglas So, will be released on 7 July. ‘I hope that the book would become a useful reference to Leica lovers around the world,’ explains Douglas.  Another highlight is the stunning beauty of the photos on black paint Leica items which merits the attention of a wider audience.  The ‘Black Paint Leica’ book will be available for sale at both F11 Foto Museum and f22 foto space.

Biography of Elliott Erwitt

Elliott Erwitt was born in Paris to Russian émigré parents on 26 July 1928. His formative years were spent in Milan. At the age of 10 his family moved back to Paris only to immigrate to New York a year later, then transferring to Los Angeles in 1941. While attending Hollywood High School he worked in a commercial darkroom processing ‘signed’ prints for fans of movie stars.

In 1948 by good fortune while looking for work on exploratory trips to New York, Erwitt met Edward Steichen, Robert Capa and Roy Stryker who liked his photographs and took a personal guiding interest as his significant mentors. The following year he returned to Europe traveling and photographing in Italy and France thus marking the start of his professional career. Drafted into the US Army in 1951 he continued taking photographs for various publications totally apart from his military duties while stationed in New Jersey, Germany and France.

In 1953 freshly decommissioned from military service, Erwitt was invited to join Magnum Photos as a member by its founder Capa. In 1968 he became President of the prestigious agency for 3 terms. To date he continues to be one of the leading figures in the competitive field of photography. His journalistic essays, illustrations and advertisements have been featured in publications around the world for over half a century.

While continuing his work as a photographer, Erwitt began making films in the 1970s. His documentaries include BEAUTY KNOWS NO PAIN (1971), RED WHITE AND BLUE GRASS (1973) sponsored with a grant from the American Film Institute, and the awarded THE GLASSMAKERS OF HERAT (1979). He also produced 17 comedies and special satire programs for Home Box Office in the 1980s.

While actively working for magazines, industrial and advertising clients Erwitt devotes all his spare time toward creating books and exhibitions of his work.

To date he is the author of nearly 30 photography books including Eastern Europe (1965), Son of Bitch (1974), On the Beach (1991), Dog Dogs (1996), Woof (2005), The Art of André S. Solidor (2009), Elliott Erwitt’s Kolor (2013), Regarding Women (2014) and Pittsburgh 1950 (2017).

A listing of one-man shows at significant public venues includes the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, the International Centre of Photography Scavi Scaligeri in Verona, the Chicago Art Institute, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the Museum of Modern Art in Paris (Palais de Tokyo), the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, the Barbican in London, the Royal Photographic Society in Bath, the Museum of Art of New South Wales in Sydney, the Spazio Oberdan in Milan, the International Center of Photography in New York, and various Asian venues too difficult to pronounce - and many others. Private galleries scattered throughout the world display, promote and sell Erwitt’s “fine art” photographs.

Since the early 1950s Erwitt has settled himself in New York, establishing his fundamental base of operations…although ‘settling’ in Erwitt parlance means ‘where you are at the moment for as long as you don’t go somewhere else’. Flexibility and adaptation to the requirements of the profession and personal interests have kept him moving about the globe before returning to base.

In September 2014, Erwitt opened BEST IN SHOW at F11 Foto Museum, his first solo exhibition in Hong Kong. He celebrated his 90th birthday in July 2018.

His favourite subjects include women, children, dogs and good humour.