With a gifted eye for catching the “decisive moment” Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt’s photographs are witty, ironic and charmingly candid. Born in Paris in 1928 to Russian parents, Erwitt spent his childhood in Milan and then immigrated to the US, via France, with his family in 1939. As a teenager living in Hollywood, he worked in a commercial darkroom before experimenting with photography at Los Angeles City College. Later becoming a documentary and advertising photographer – he even carried out photographic duties while serving in a unit of the Army Signal Corps – in 1953 he joined Magnum Photos Agency as a freelance photographer, later serving as Magnum’s President in the 1960s. Authoring over 20 photography books to date and exhibiting in some of the most prestigious galleries all over the world, now in his 80s he continues to travel widely, shooting personal and commercial work. Remarkably, in just this past year he has shot campaigns for San Pellegrino, Tod’s and the Puerto Rico Tourism Board. A master of observation, Erwitt’s attention to detail and the dynamic way in which he captures chance moments in everyday situations is utterly beguiling. “To me, photography is an art of observation,” he says. “It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
Text by Lucia Davies
Elliott Erwitt, A Survey runs 13 November 2010 – January 15, 2011 at Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto.
